CHAPTER 352: CHAPTER 5: DRAFT DAY

October 25, 2012, Tokyo, New Takarazuka Hotel.

The venue was already set up, and the 2012 Rookie Player Draft Conference was scheduled to open on time—thanks to the emergence of high-profile players, this year’s conference was more luxurious than last year’s and even secured official sponsorship from Toshiba.

Although the main venue was right in Tokyo, Lin Guanglai chose not to attend but rather spent this significant moment of his life with the entire team.

In the hall of Waseda Jitsugyo, a group of people were busy setting up the venue as Minister Sasaki directed various team members to put everything in place.

Microphones were placed on the table at the podium, and behind the table was a gigantic backdrop bearing Waseda Jitsugyo’s emblem and name. Not far from the stage, large news media outlets such as Mainichi, Asahi, Hochi, and Nikkan had sent film crews for live coverage, showcasing the high level of treatment Lin Guanglai was receiving.

Even for a prestigious baseball school like Waseda Jitsugyo, it’s been many years since a high school graduate joined the professional player ranks. Thus, the school demonstrated considerable importance by recruiting many volunteer students to witness Lin Guanglai’s crucial moment in the venue—a gigantic hall that could accommodate all the school’s members and it was already filled to capacity.

There was still some time before the draft began, and the camera focused on Lin Guanglai sitting upright, gazing directly at the television screen in front of him, which was broadcasting a highlight reel of this year’s top draft picks. As the standout high school graduate of 2012, Lin Guanglai naturally garnered the most attention.

Below the stage, the front row of spectators was occupied by Lin Guanglai’s baseball department teammates, who each held a jersey from the 12 Nippon Professional Baseball teams. They were ready to rush forward and drape him in the jersey as soon as the results were announced.

This scene was not exclusive to Waseda Jitsugyo; similar scenes were playing out at Osaka Tsubaki, Koushing Academy, and even society teams—all except Ohtani Shohei, who had explicitly declined all offers from Japan, holding no related gathering as many top draft picks appeared at this year’s draft.

The Nippon Professional Baseball draft rules are relatively simple. Starting from the second round, the Central League and Pacific League each have six teams, and conduct snake draft alternating according to the year’s official game rankings. The weaker the record, the better the chance to select top players. The order of Central League and Pacific League drafting depends on the results of this year’s interleague or All-Star games.

The first round draft is quite special. It is unrelated to team rankings, with all 12 teams competing simultaneously. If multiple teams vie for the same pick, lottery decides negotiating rights; teams not selected continue drawing lots until the first pick is determined.

For teams, the first pick tests not only the scout team’s vision and professionalism but also requires a bit of luck. After all, which team wouldn’t want a top player? When multiple teams choose the same player, it all comes down to luck.

For the first pick, different teams offer various strategies—for big organizations like Giant or SoftBank who can leverage financial power in the free agent market, they might focus more on a player’s high potential and can afford not landing the first-round pick. Hence in such times, their executives often join the competition for top-tier players.

Yet, for mid-sized teams like Chiba Lotte or Yokohama BayStars, the first-round pick is a crucial channel for team improvement. Instead of competing for players that everybody wants, these smaller teams often go for talented yet less popular players.

Especially concerning high school graduates fresh from Koshien, teams are even more cautious—developing Koshien stars carries enormous risks, with high school graduates taking at least four to five years to become first-team competent compared to university players, they have a much lower cost-performance ratio.

Thus, many interesting stories have occurred in past drafts, especially before the reverse draft system was abolished in 2006, with forced nominations and behind-the-scenes operations nearly playing out annually.

At Waseda Real, the film crew signaled towards the podium, indicating that the draft conference was about to begin. Lin Guanglai hurriedly tidied his appearance and straightened his back, prepared.

Though he had nearly secured an open offer from Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, at this destined time that determines his future whereabouts for the next few years or even decades, Lin Guanglai still felt a bit nervous.

On the far right side of the audience, his father, mother, and sister sat there, all donning equally tense expressions on their faces.

As the television screen connected with the signals from the main draft venue, the 2012 Rookie Player Draft Conference officially commenced. Amidst cheers from on-site supporters, management teams from the 12 Nippon Professional Baseball clubs, along with their scouting departments, entered in order from last to first based on last year’s rankings.

The first to appear was Yokohama BayStars from Kanagawa. They accepted new sponsorship this year and would officially rename to Yokohama DeNA BayStars starting next season. Next out was Orix Buffaloes from Osaka, followed by Hanshin Tigers, Chiba Lotte, Hiroshima Carp, Rakuten Golden Eagles...

Last season Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks achieved 67 wins, 65 losses, and 12 ties placing third in the Pacific League. In fact, they were just 6.5 games behind the first-place Ham Team.

SoftBank Team’s lineup today remained quite impressive, led by Nippon Professional Baseball legend and current honorary president Wang Zhenzhi, followed by representatives of club higher-ups and current team manager Akiyama Koji.

Judging from the ecstatic expressions on their faces, SoftBank Team clearly aimed to succeed today!

When Kuriyama Hideki, who led the Japan Ham Fighters to the Pacific League victory last season and returned to the Nippon Series after years, took his seat, the pre-ceremony procedures concluded.

After the host of the conference briefly explained the rules, representatives from each team input their first-round picks into the system.

Next, the name-calling segment formally began.