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The Saitama Seibu Lions drafted a total of 13 players combined in the 2023 NPB Draft and ikusei rounds.
Their first round had some thrill to it with winning a three-way drawing for the rights to LHP Natsuki Takeuchi. Here is a summary of each pick:
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Round 1: LHP Natsuki Takeuchi 武内 夏暉
College: Koku Gakuin (Tokyo)
High School: Yahata Minami (Fukuoka)
Date of Birth: July 21, 2001
Height: 185 cm (6' 3")
Weight: 90 kg (198 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Left/Left
Takeuchi is viewed as one of the best players available in this draft. He can hit 153 km/H while throwing a fastball, slider, changeup and curve ball.
For his college career, he was a star in his junior season and remained a starter. He also participated in the national Japan-America University baseball tournament as a reliever..
The Lions likely had him as the No. 1 ok ayer on their draft board valuing both his velocity and excellence in control. This also shores up the depth for the left-handed rotation to join Chihiro Sumida. If everything goes right, he could be inserted into the starting rotation to begin the 2024 season.
Trivially as a Fukuoka Prefecture native, his inspiration and game is modeled after Tsuyoshi Wada and he was a fan club member for the Softbank Hawks since elementary school. He's also a fan of the restaurant chain Sukesan Udon.
Team quote: "He is a skillful and clever pitcher with good control and a high level of perfection."
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Round 2: RHP Taiga Ueda (上田 大河)
College: Osaka Shogyo (Osaka)
High School: Osaka Shogyo (Osaka)
Date of Birth: November 15, 2001
Height: 182 cm (6' 0")
Weight: 86 kg (190 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Right/Right
Ueda has experience as both a reliever and starter with the ability to top out at 154 km/h. Besides a fastball, he can also throw a cutter, changeup, slider, curve and fork ball.
He emerged in his senior season with a low ERA of 1.33 and was part of the national championship tournament.
With his power pitching abilities, he could develop into an effective reliever.
Team Quote: "He is a highly capable, tough and ready-to-play pitcher with a high physical strength."
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Round 3: LHP Haruki Sugiyama (杉山 遙希)
High School: Yokohama (Kanagawa)
Date of Birth: September 23, 2005
Height: 181 cm (5' 11")
Weight: 80 kg (176 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Left/Left
Sugiyama has a max velocity of 147 km/H and can throw a fastball, curve, slider and changeup. He was the ace pitcher at Yokohama High School for three seasons and pitched at the Koshien tournament in two of them. Notably, he gave up a losing home run to eventual Kanagawa and national tournament champions Keio High school in his senior season.
The Lions see a future left-handed pitcher who could be a rotation candidate down the line. He appears to be a control pitcher and should develop in a few years.
Team Quote: "He is a skilled left-handed pitcher who has a sharp fast ball and is also highly accurate with his breaking balls."
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Round 4: RHP Harusei Narita (成田 晴風)
High School: Hirosaki Kogyo (Aomori)
Date of Birth: February 27, 2006
Height: 185 cm (6' 1")
Weight: 86 kg (190 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Right/Right
Narita has a fastball that can top out at 150 km/h with the ability to also throw a slider, Curve, cutter, changeup and fork. His ability to mix up his pitches and versatility likely drew attention of the scouts. He has no Koshien tournament experience and his school only finished as high as the Aomori Prefectural semi-finals.
His velocity and size should only improve with time as he's only 17 at the time of this writing. In a few years of developing, Narita could be a rotation candidate.
Trivially, his family farms both tomatoes and asparagus.
Team quote: "He is a pitcher who can push through with force and throw a variety of breaking balls with high horsepower (velocity)."
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Round 5: RHP Taisei Miyazawa (宮澤 太成)
College: Hokkaido (Hokkaido)
High School: Nagano (Nagano)
Date of Birth: April 15, 1999
Height: 185 cm (6' 1")
Weight: 95 kg (209 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Right/Right
Miyazawa has a maximum velocity of 155 km/h and can throw a curve, fastball and fork ball. He only played in the Shikoku Island League for the 2023 season after earning his way on through a tryout. He sat out his senior year in college due to an injury, but strengthened himself after rehab.
This resulted in a very unconventional path to baseball. While playing independent League baseball in the Shikoku Island league, he was also taking classes to finish his degree at Hokkaido University, a Division II baseball program. He became the first baseball player drafted in university history.
In one season with the Tokushima Indigo Socks, he threw away a reliever and has only 19.1 innings of work. With the Lions, he could be a relief pitcher if the coaches can fix his command.
Team Quote: "He is an attractive pitcher with two distinctive forkballs and a powerful fastball."
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Round 6: IF Leon Murata (村田 怜音)
College: Kogakkan (Mie)
High School: Ouka (Mie)
Date of Birth: August 4, 2001
Height: 196 cm (6' 5")
Weight: 110 kg (243 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Right/Right
Murata was the cleanup hitter in college and showed he can hit with power. He earned the cleanup hitting position in his freshman season and attracted the attention of scouts at various university tournament games.
Mostly a first baseman, he provides immediate competition for a position of need with Kento Watanabe. How can he hit against professional is the question.
Team Quote: "Although he is raw, his power hitting made him attractive. He can be a cleanup hitter in the future."
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Round 7: RHP Ryota Itogawa (糸川 亮太)
College: Rissho (Tokyo)
High School: Kawanoe (Ehime)
Date of Birth: April 30, 1998
Height: 174 cm (5' 9")
Weight: 77 kg (170 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Right/Right
Itogawa can throw as fast as 149 km/h with a fastball, slider, curve, sinker and changeup in his arsenal. He has experience as a starter and reliever. Itogawa's breaking balls are his specialty with the sinker being a main weapon while also having good control.
Notably, he was teammates with fellow draftee Ryuki Watarai (first round pick of the Yokohama DeNA Baystars) at ENEOS as they won a shakaijin championship together. For the championship game, he was the winning staffing pitcher. He was once on the collegiate Samurai Japan team.
The Lions really liked his breaking pitches and think he could come in as a reliever.
Team Quote: "He is a pitcher with an effective sinker. We are looking forward to him being an immediate ichi-gun pitcher."
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Ikusei round
Round 1: LHP Joseph Konosuke Sinclair ジョセフ 孝ノ助 シンクレア
College: Mary (North Dakota), Cochise Junior College (Arizona)
High School: John Oliver (Vancouver, British Columbia)
Date of Birth: June 12, 2001
Height: 193 cm (6' 4")
Weight: 94 kg (207 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Left/Right
Primarily a relief pitcher, he had a dominant 27 innings of work in 2023 with 22 strikeouts. His top speed is 151 km/h where he can throw a two-sean fastball and a slider.
Sinclair is a half-Canadian Japanese born citizen with a Canadian father. He was also part team Canada during the Little League World Championship. He was born in Saitama Prefecture.
Team Quote: "He is a pitcher who has an angular fastball and slider that has an advantage due to his height."
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Round 2: RHP Asahi Taniguchi
High School: Koryo (Hiroshima)
Date of Birth: April 3, 2004
Height: 185 cm (6' 1")
Weight: 85 kg (187 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Right/Right
Taniguchi was only drafted for potential and age, being 19 at the time of this writing.
Control was largest problem when he was a pitcher. He is mostly an athlete who needs refining. The Lions see him as a position player instead of pitcher.
One year removed from high school, Taniguchi has very minimal experience in recorded games.
He appeared in only 3 games with the Indigo Socks as a reliever and had one relief appearance in high school during the Hiroshima prefectural Koshien qualifier tournament.
Team Quote: "He has great physical traits and plenty of room to grow. There are high hopes for him as a fielder."
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Round 3: LHP Masahiro Kawashimo (川下将勲)
High School: Hakodate Yuto (Hokkaido)
Date of Birth: April 3, 2005
Height: 186 cm (6' 1")
Weight: 72 kg (159 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Left/Left
Kawashimo was the ace for his high school and will need to bulk up in order to earn a promotion. He can top out at 142 km/h with a slider, changeup, curve and fastball in his arsenal.
He has an unusual form when pitching with a high knee lift, but this could be an advantage with time.
Team Quote: "He has a well-balanced form and is a pitcher who can throw angular fastballs from his tall body."
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Round 4: IF Koji Kaneko (金子功児)
High School: Komyo Gakuin Sagaminara (Kanagawa)
Date of Birth: September 2, 2003
Height: 185 cm (6' 1")
Weight: 86 kg (190 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Right/Right
Kaneko was the starting shortstop for the Heat Bears out of the BC League with 109 hits in 121 games, four home runs and 43 RBIs for a .242 career batting average.
He has good defense with a strong arm and can run 50 meters in 6.2 seconds. That being said, he had his share of errors with 29 in his last 65 games.
If he improves his offense and fielding, it can earn a promotion.
Team Quote: "He has a good balance between hitting and defense. There is a good sense of awareness."
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Round 5: RHP Shota Kise (木瀬 翔太)
High School: Kitasaga (Kyoto)
Date of Birth: April 5, 2005
Height: 185 cm (6' 1")
Weight: 82 kg (181 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Right/Right
Kise attracted scouts during the Kyoto prefectural Koshien qualifiers where he pitched a complete game as the team's ace. He can top out at 146km/h and can take advantage of a good fastball from his height. Kise can also throw a slider, cutter, changeup, and two types of fork balls.
Impressively, he improved his velocity from 130 km/h to 146 km/h in three years of high school.
Team Quote: "He has a well-balanced physique, good arm motion and has great potential as a pitcher."
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Round 6: OF Koichi Okumura (奥村光一)
College: Tokai (Tokyo)
High School: Tokai (Shizuoka)
Date of Birth: December 24, 1999
Height: 177 cm (5' 10")
Weight: 82 kg (181 lbs)
Throws/Bats: Right/Right
Okumura led the BC League with 33 stolen bases in 2023 and had an on-base percentage of .400. He can run 50 meters in 5.9 seconds.
If his bat develops, he could be a pinch runner or substitute for the late games. That being said, his window is shorter given he will be 25 at the start of 2024. The Lions see him as an athlete they can coach.
Team Quote: "He is a player with a great overall physical ability and a combination of speed and power."
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Quick analysis
The Lions took the best player on their board and stuck with it throughout the draft. Many may question why their below average offense wasn't addressed in this draft with only one position player taken in he main round, but talent appeared to trump anything else.
Long term, the Lions need pitching options when Kona Takahashi and eventually Kaima Taira want to go to MLB someday. They took a decent amount of flyers in the ikusei round with hopes someone can earn a promotion.
On offense, this is a vote of confidence in Kento Watanabe, Gakuto Wakabayashi, Shohei Suzuki and Takuya Hiruma to grow and improve their game.
Takeuchi doesn't have the highest upside on paper, but his control was valued more than anything velocity related. He should be a mainstay in the rotation.
It will take time to evaluate this class, but in a good 4-5 years, a decent chunk of it will either be established or flaming out.
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