2015 Nippon Professional Baseball draft

The 2015 Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Draft was held on 22 October 2015 at the Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa to assign amateur baseball players to the NPB. It was arranged with the special cooperation of Taisho Pharmaceutical Co. with official naming rights. The draft was officially called "The Professional Baseball Draft Meeting supported by Lipovitan D".

Summary

This was the third year in a row that Taisho Pharmaceuticals had been a partner for the NPB draft and as such one of their most prominent products "Lipovitan D" was used in the official name becoming "Professional Baseball Draft meeting supported by Lipovitan D."[1]

Only the first round picks were allowed to be contested with all picks from the second round onward being based on table placing in the 2015 NPB season in a waiver system. Waiver priority was changed from All-Star game results to inter-league results. As the Pacific League teams came out on top with 61 wins, 44 losses and 3 draws against Central League opposition, Pacific League teams were given preference. From the third round the order was reversed continuing in the same fashion until all picks were exhausted.

For the first time since 1974, the Yomiuri Giants were without a manager present at the draft. In the previous instance, that year's manager Tetsuharu Kawakami was to be replaced by Shigeo Nagashima who was absent due to his participation in the MLB Japan All-Star Series having still been an active player.[2]

88 new players were signed at the draft with a further 28 development player contracts decided on.[3]

Lottery Mistake

In the competition for the signature of Meiji University's Shun Takayama between Tokyo Yakult Swallows and the Hanshin Tigers there was an error leading to some trouble at the meeting.[4]

At the lottery, both team managers Tomoaki Kanemoto and Mitsuru Manaka both pulled their tickets and it was Manaka who pulled his ticket first mistaking the draft logo for the "winning" stamp, raising his fist in a victory pose. Kanemoto, after seeing the Swallows manager's delight, felt that he had lost and went back to his seat without checking his ticket.

After checking the "winning" ticket, NPB officials realized immediately that there had been a mistake but before other officials could check the Hanshin ticket, an interview with Manaka had already started. In regards to this, NPB secretary general Atsuhi Iihara later apologized "we should have stopped the interview but we couldn't. It was a clumsy piece of work." After it was confirmed that Hanshin had indeed won the rights to negotiate, Kanemoto laughingly remarked "it was like a homerun that had been taken away by video replay."[5]

In the aftermath, Takayama made comment that "it was a meeting where you didn't now what was going to happen, I certainly didn't, but I'm very appreciative to have been selected in the first round of picks."[6] The mistaken Manaka, commented "please return my celebration."[7] As a result of the systems trouble, the draft was delayed by 10 minutes.

First Round Contested Picks

Player NamePositionTeams Selected by
First RoundTaiga HirasawaInfielderRakutenLotte
First RoundJumpei TakahashiPitcherChunichiNippon HamSoftbank
First RoundShun TakayamaOutfielderHanshinYakult
Second RoundShinnosuke OgasawaraPitcherChunichi、Nippon Ham
  • Bolded teams indicate who won the right to negotiate contract following a lottery.

Selected Players

Key
* Player did not sign

Fukuoka Softbank Hawks

PickPlayer NamePositionTeam
#1 Jumpei TakahashiPitcherGifu Commercial and Business High School
#2 Reiji KozawaPitcherNihon University Mishima Senior High School
#3 Kenta TanigawaraCatcherToyohashi Chuo High School
#4 Kenta ChataniPitcherTeikyo Daisan High School
#5 Kenta KuroseInfielderHatsushiba Hashimoto Senior High School
#6 Hikaru KawaseInfielderOita Commercial and Business High School
Development Player Draft
#1 Yuto NozawaPitcherTsukuba Shuei High School
#2 Ryuya KodamaPitcherKanagawa University
#3 Yuichi HigoshiCatcherTokyo Nogyo University Hokkaido Okhotsk
#4 Shin NakamuraPitcherLuther High School
#5 Takeshi WatanabePitcherIizuka High School

Nippon Ham Fighters

PickPlayer NamePositionTeam
#1 Kenta UeharaPitcherMeiji University
#2 Takayuki KatoPitcherShin Nittetsu Sumikin Kazusa Magic
#3 Kazutomo IguchiPitcherTokyo Nogyo University Hokkaido Okhotsk
#4 Shota HiranumaInfielderTsuruga Kehi High School
#5 Toyoki TanakaPitcherNippon Bunri University
#6 Toshitaki YokooInfielderKeio University
#7 Yuki YoshidaPitcherTokai University
#8 Yuya HimenoOutfielderOsaka Kaisei High School

Chiba Lotte Marines

PickPlayer NamePositionTeam
#1 Taiga HirasawaInfielderSendai Ikuei High School
#2 Ryota SekiyaPitcherJR East
#3 Kakeru NaritaPitcherAkita Commerce & Business High School
#4 Taiki TojoPitcherJR East
#5 Shu HaraPitcherSenshu University Matsudo Senior High School
#6 Akifumi ShigarakiPitcherMiyazaki Umeda Gakuen
#7 Keisuke TakanoPitcherJR West
Development Player Draft
#1 Takamasa OkiInfielderKagawa Olive Guyners
#2 Tomoya KakinumaCatcherNihon University College of International Relations

Saitama Seibu Lions

PickPlayer NamePositionTeam
#1 Shinsaburō TawataPitcherFuji University
#2 Seiji KawagoePitcherHokkai Gakuen University
#3 Shogo NodaPitcherSeino Transportation
#4 Aito OtakiOutfielderHanasaki Tokuharu High School
#5 Tadasuke MinamikawaPitcherJR Shikoku
#6 Keisuke HondaPitcherTohoku Gakuin University
#7 Nien Ting WuInfielderDaiichi Institute of Technology
#8 Tsubasa KokubaPitcherDaiichi Institute of Technology
#9 Koki FujitaPitcherHirosaki Technical High School
#10 Naoaki MatsumotoPitcherKagawa Olive Guyners

Orix Buffaloes

PickPlayer NamePositionTeam
#1 Masataka YoshidaOutfielderAoyama Gakuin University
#2 Taisuke KondoPitcherPanasonic
#3 Koji OshiroInfielderRikkyo University
#4 Daiki AoyamaPitcherToyota Motors
#5 Ryo YoshidaPitcherTokai Sagami High School
#6 Sena SatoPitcherSendai Ikuei High School
#7 Kohei SuzukiInfielderMitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagoya
#8 Ryuta KadoyaPitcherJ-Project Corp
#9 Ken AkamaPitcherSaginomiya Seisakusho
#10 Yutaro SugimotoOutfielderJR East
Development Player Draft
#1 Takayuki TsukadaPitcherHakuoh University
#2 Kosuke AkamatsuCatcherKagawa Olive Guyners

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

PickPlayer NamePositionTeam
#1 Louis OkoyeOutfielderKanto Daiichi High School
#2 Ryota YoshimochiInfielderOsaka University of Commerce
#3 Eigoro MogiInfielderWaseda University
#4 Kengo HoriuchiCatcherShizuoka Senior High School
#5 Ryota IshibashiPitcherHonda
#6 Yuichi AdachiCatcherPanasonic
#7 Itsuki MurabayashiInfielderOtsuka Senior High School
Development Player Draft
#1 Takumi DeguchiInfielderTsuda Gakuen High School
#2 Hiroki YamadaInfielderKomono High School

Tokyo Yakult Swallows

PickPlayer NamePositionTeam
#1 Juri HaraPitcherToyo University
#2 Taishi HirookaInfielderChiben Gakuen High School
#3 Keiji TakahashiPitcherRyukoku University Heian High School
#4 Julius HigumaPitcherKochi Chuo High School
#5 Kotaro YamasakiOutfielderNihon University
#6 Daiki WatanabeInfielderSenshu University Matsudo High School

Yomiuri Giants

PickPlayer NamePositionTeam
#1 Toshiki SakuraiPitcherRitsumeikan University
#2 Shinnosuke ShigenobuOutfielderWaseda University
#3 Hirotaka YonaharaPitcherFutenma High School
#4 Shingo UsamiCatcherJosai International University
#5 Yasuhiro YamamotoInfielderKeio University
#6 Daisuke TatsumaPitcherIwakura High School
#7 Kota NakagawaPitcherTokai University
#8 Takuya MatsuzakiInfielderNippon Paper Group
Development Player Draft
#1 Daiki MasudaInfielderTokushima Indigo Socks
#2 Daisei KobayashiCatcherMusashi Heat Bears
#3 Yusuke Matsuzawa[8]OutfielderKagawa Olive Guyners
#4 Kosei TajimaInfielderMusashi Heat Bears
#5 Hideyoshi OtakePitcherMusashi Heat Bears
#6 Atsuro HashimotoPitcherChinzei High School
#7 Yohei YajimaPitcherMusashi Heat Bears
#8 Jun HasegawaPitcherIshikawa Million Stars

Hanshin Tigers

PickPlayer NamePositionTeam
#1 Shun TakayamaOutfielderMeiji University
#2 Seishirō SakamotoCatcherMeiji University
#3 Daichi TakeyasuPitcherKumamoto Golden Larks
#4 Atsushi MochizukiPitcherYokohama So-Gakukan High School
#5 Kōyō AoyagiPitcherTeikyo University
#6 Yutaro ItayamaOutfielderAsia University

Hiroshima Carp

PickPlayer NamePositionTeam
#1 Akitake OkadaPitcherOsaka University of Commerce
#2 Hiroki YokoyamaPitcherNTT East Japan
#3 Mikiya TakahashiPitcherHanamaki East High School
#4 Ryota FunakoshiCatcherOji Paper Company
#5 Ryoma NishikawaInfielderOji Paper Company
#6 Oscar NakaoshiPitcherHonda
#7 Riku AokiInfielderYamagata Chuo High School

Chunichi Dragons

PickPlayer NamePositionTeam
#1 Shinnosuke OgasawaraPitcherTokai Sagami High School
#2 Yu SatoPitcherTohoku Fukushi University
#3 Takuya KinoshitaCatcherToyota Motors
#4 Hiroto FukuPitcherJR Kyushu
#5 Toshiki AbeInfielderHonda
#6 Ryota IshiokaInfielderJR East
Development Player Draft
#1 Seiya NakagawaPitcherAichi University
#2 Shu YoshidaPitcherTokushima Indigo Socks
#3 Takuya MitsumaPitcherMusashi Heat Bears
#4 Mikihiro NishihamaPitcherSeijoh University
#5 Kaito GoyaPitcherHachinohe Gakuin Kosei High School
#6 Masaru WatanabeOutfielderTokai University

Yokohama DeNA BayStars

PickPlayer NamePositionTeam
#1 Shōta ImanagaPitcherKomazawa University
#2 Kento KumabaraPitcherSendai University
#3 Tatsuhiro ShibataInfielderKokugakuin University
#4 Yasutaka TobashiraCatcherNTT West Japan
#5 Kakeru AyabePitcherKasumigaura High School
#6 Kōki AoyagiOutfielderOsaka Toin High School
#7 Takuto NogawaPitcherSaginomiya Seisakusho
Development Player Draft
#1 Keishō AmiyaCatcherChiba Eiwa High School
#2 Musashi YamamotoInfielderKyushu International University Senior High School
#3 Jo TamuraPitcherKwansei Gakuin University

References

  1. "ドラフト会議の特別協賛社に大正製薬(Draft Meeting's special partner Taisho Pharmaceuticals)". Nippon Professional Baseball (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  2. "【巨人】41年ぶり監督不在ドラフト、抽選くじは堤GMが(Giants first time in 41 years without a manager at the draft. Lottery ticket to be pulled by GM)". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2016-04-08. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  3. "新人選手88名の交渉権が確定 (88 new player negotiations decided)". Nippon Professional Baseball (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  4. "真中監督、外れなのにガッツポーズ 金本監督は起死回生 (Swallows manager Manaka raises fist despite not winning, Tigers skipper Kanemoto resucitated)". Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  5. "金本監督「ビデオ判定でホームランの心境」くじ逆転(Tigers Manager Kanemoto: "it was like a homerun had been taken away by video replay" raffle reversal)". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  6. "アクシデントに明大・高山も困惑(Meiji Uni's Takayama also troubled by accident)". Daily Sports (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  7. "「あのガッツポーズを返してください」/真中監督 (Please return my celebration - Manager Manaka)". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  8. "怪我のため入団を辞退(Unable to join Giants due to injury)". Independent Baseball League Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2015-11-21. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
Preceded by
2014
Nippon Professional Baseball draft Succeeded by
2016
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