The 30 players on the Japanese national team for the World Baseball Classic in March have been decided. Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida was selected as the "Last Samurai" on the 4th. Along with Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, he is an alumnus of Orix Buffaloes. Together pitcher pitcher Hiroya Miyagi, Ryuhei Sotani, catcher Kenya Wakatsuki, this means that "five players" will essentially be from Orix Buffaloes.

In 2023, five players will be participating: Yamamoto, Miyagi, pitcher Yuki Udagawa, pitcher Soichiro Yamazaki, and Yoshida Tadashi, who was in his first year after transferring to the majors. Miyagi, who will be participating in his second consecutive tournament, joined the team as the first pick in the 2019 draft from Konan High School. General Manager Junichi Fukura took over in June of that year. Shortly after taking office, he confided in then-team president Michio Minato, "It may take some time, but..." After peaking at second place in 2014, the team spent four consecutive years in the B class until 2018. He himself has experience as a player, scout, coach, and manager. He decided to shift course to a "development-focused" approach rather than a stopgap measure, and President Minato understood his thoughts.

Miyagi was selected as the first overall pick after missing out on Ishikawa Takashi (Chunichi) and Kono (Nippon-Ham) in the lottery, and was considered one of the top high school pitcher. Miyagi's own abilities were high, and he made it to the first team in his second year as a professional. In 2020, they missed out on Sato Teru (Hanshin Tigers) in the lottery, but Shumpeita Yamashita from Fukuoka Ohori High School joined the team as their first overall pick. He has continued to make steady progress while overcoming injuries, and has been named to the final candidate roster for this year's WBC.

Soya, who is now in his fourth year as a professional, also entered the team as the first overall pick in the 2010 draft from Hakuo University. The deciding factor was "Jetsurah. One time in the spring of the same year, he observed the left arm pitch practicing. I was especially impressed by the sharp bend slider to the right-handed hitter. He immediately decided to nominate him, saying, "He will definitely win, and he will be pitcher a winner. The humility and ambition that Soya possessed also led to his later growth.

Looking at drafts since 2019, there has only been one professional fielder. catcher Ryoma Yamanaka who joined the team as the fourth pick in the 2024 draft from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries East, can be considered an "exception." He has exceptional batting skills and the versatility to play first base and outfield. The development policy has remained consistent in principle, and Ota and Kurebayashi, who are expected to participate in the next WBC and beyond, have also blossomed into talented players since graduating from high school.

Yoshida Masataka, the first overall pick in the 2015 draft, and Yamamoto, the fourth overall pick in the 2016 draft, both challenged themselves in Major League Baseball through the posting system. There was a strong mutual understanding between them that they wanted to "make the team win," and the team gladly sent them off to the world. Seven years ago, the entire front office shared the sentiment, "We want to make Orix Buffaloes strong. We have to be a strong team." The power of "All Orix Buffaloes" is also indispensable for consecutive world championships. (baseball Desk - Nagata Toru)