As with the past three active player drafts, each Pacific League team will acquire one new player.

The 2025 active player draft was held on December 9th, and each Pacific League team acquired one new player. There are quite a few players who have made great strides as a result of the active player draft, so attention will be focused on the results that the players who transferred this time will achieve in their new teams.

This time, we will look at the achievements of six players who transferred to Pacific League teams through the 2025 active player draft. We will also look back at the achievements each player showed at their previous team and introduce the role they are expected to play in their new environment.

pitcher Daiki Kikuchi (The Giants → Hokkaido Nippon-Ham)

pitcher Daiki Kikuchi joined The Giants as the sixth pick in the 2021 Development Player Draft. In his first year as a professional in 2022, he earned a contract and pitched in 16 games, and in the following year, 2023, he pitched in 50 games in the season. He showed his high strike out ability with a record of 4 wins, 4 losses, 11 hold, 1 save, ERA of 3.40, and strike out rate of 10.38, and worked hard as a mainstay in bullpen.

He failed to make a first-team appearance in 2024 and was transferred to a development contract during the offseason, but returned to the regular roster in 2025, posting excellent results with ERA of 1.80 and strike out rate of 14.40 in seven games. For Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, whose loss of victory was partly due to the collapse of their relief corps towards the end of the season, this long-awaited new talent could be the final piece needed to lead the team to the top.

Naoki Sato (Fukuoka Softbank → Tohoku Rakuten Eagles)

　Naoki Sato joined Fukuoka Softbank as the first pick in the 2019 draft. Although he was known for his excellent defense skills, he lacked consistency, batting averages below single digits for three consecutive seasons from his second year as a professional in 2021, and was transferred to a development contract in the off-season of 2023. Although he won a return to the team in 2024, his batting average that year was only .190, and his batting continued to be a hindrance.

However, in 2025, he improved his batting, hitting .239 Home Run and an OPS of .700, and used his speed to record 10 stolen base. He played in 104 games as a super sub in outfield and contributed to the team's league championship. After a breakthrough year, will he be able to get more playing time in his new home?

Tokumasa Chano (Orix Buffaloes → Saitama Seibu Lions)

　Tokumasa Chano joined Orix Buffaloes as the fourth pick in the 2022 Development Player Draft. In his first year as a professional in 2023, he earned a contract and starting line-up in the opening game. Utilizing the batting skills he developed in the independent league, he supported the team in the early stages of the season, appearing in 91 games and posting a batting average of .237, contributing to the team's league championship.

The following year, in 2024, his batting average improved to .269, but he only played in 16 games, and in 2025 he only played in three games. If he can replicate the impressive early game success of his rookie year in his new home, he could become a catalyst for a team struggling with a lack of scoring power.

Hirohiro Inoue (Hanshin Tigers → Chiba Lotte Marines)

Kodai Inoue joined Hanshin Tigers Tigers as the second pick in the 2019 draft. He was a promising hitter from his days at Riseisha High School, and in his fifth year as a pro in 2024, he was named Western League 's batting hitter with a batting average of .308. He also hit three Home Run in the first team, including his first home run, but his batting average of .212 was inconsistent and he was unable to establish himself in the first team.

Although he showed his power this season with 8 Home Run and 34 RBI in the minor leagues, his batting average was .230, a drop from the previous year, and he only played in one game in the major leagues. At just 24 years old, he still has a lot of room to grow, so it will be interesting to see if he can bring out his natural batting sense in his new home and become a relief for the team, which is suffering from a lack of power hitting.

Shota Hiranuma (Saitama Seibu Lions → Orix Buffaloes)

　Shota Hiranuma joined Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters as the fourth pick in the 2015 draft. In 2019, he played in 73 games with a batting average of .236, and in 2020 he played in 52 games with a batting average of .228, securing playing time in the first team at a young age. In the middle of 2021, he was traded to Saitama Seibu Lions. The following year, in 2022, he recorded a batting average of .260 in 30 games, and hit his first home run since the transfer in a direct match against Tohoku Rakuten Eagles, who were competing for third place, helping the team advance to Class A.

He continued to perform well thereafter, batting .245 in 67 games in 2023 and .265 in 45 games in 2024, and in 2025 he played in 60 games, batting .218 while playing four positions (first base, second base, third base, and outfield). Taking advantage of his solid hitting and versatility, he is expected to play a wide range of roles on both offense and defense in his new home.

pitcher Toshiya Nakamura (Chiba Lotte Marines → Fukuoka Softbank)

　Toshiya Nakamura pitcher was drafted fifth overall in the 2018 draft by Chiba Lotte Marines. He was somewhat inconsistent in his first two years as a pro, ERA scoring 4 runs, but pitched well in 2021, ERA 3.08 with 38 inning in 14 games; in 2023, he appeared in 17 games, mainly as a long reliever, ERA 2.31.

In 2024, he pitched 34 inning in 17 games and ERA 3.71, and in 2025, he pitched 20 inning in 15 games and ERA 3.15, posting consistent above-average numbers for three years in a row while playing a wide variety of roles. In his new home, he will continue to be a valuable left fielder who can inning straddle the lineup, and he will look to make the leap to become an integral part of bullpen.

Will there be a player who will grow significantly in his new environment and become an indispensable member of the team?

The rise of Shun Mizutani, who transferred to Hokkaido Nippon-Ham in the 2023 active player draft, was a major plus for the team, which has advanced to second place for two consecutive years. Will the six players who have now transferred to Pacific League teams be able to grow significantly in their new environment and become indispensable members of the team? It will be interesting to watch each player's performance in the upcoming 2026 season.

Written by Ryota Mochizuki