The 2018 Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Draft was held on October 25, , for the 54th time 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". 2018 marked the 6th consecutive year in which Taisho Pharmaceuticals had sponsored the event.
Summary
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 2018 NPB season in a waiver system. Waiver priority was based on inter-league results. As the Pacific League teams came out on top 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.
First round Contested Picks Player namePositionTeams selected byFirst roundAkira NeoInfielderDragons, Fighters, Giants, SwallowsFirst roundKaito KozonoInfielderBuffaloes, Baystars, Hawks, CarpFirst roundKyota FujiwaraOutfielderEagles, Marines, TigersSecond roundRyosuke TatsumiOutfielderEagles, Tigers, Giants, HawksSecond roundTaiga KamichataniPitcherBaystars, Swallows
Bolded teams indicate who won the right to negotiate contract following a lottery. In the first round, Wataru Matsumoto (Pitcher) was selected by the Lions without a bid lottery. In the second round, Ryo Ohta (Infielder) was selected by the Buffaloes without a bid lottery. In the thrird round, Koji Chikamoto (Outfielder) was selected by the Tigers, Yuki Takahashi (Pitcher) by the Giants ,Hiroshi Kaino (Pitcher) by the Hawks, and Noboru Shimizu (Pitcher) by the Swallows without a bid lottery. List of selected players.
Selected Players +Key*Player did not sign
The order of the teams is the order of second round waiver priority. Bolded After that, a developmental player who contracted as a registered player under control. List of selected players.
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles PickPlayer namePositionTeam#1Ryosuke TatsumiOutfielderRitsumeikan University#2Hikaru OhtaCatcherOsaka University of Commerce#3Shoichiro HikijiPitcherKureshiki Commercial High School#4Hayato YugePitcherSubaru#5Tomoki SatohPitcherYamagata Chuo High School#6Yoshiaki WatanabeInfielderMeiji University#7Yuta OgoPitcherRissho University#8Sora SuzukiPitcherFuji UniversityDevelopmental Player Draft#1Kotaro Seimiya PitcherYachiyo Shōin High School#2Yoshiki NorimotoPitcherYamagishi Logisters
Hanshin Tigers PickPlayer namePositionTeam#1Koji ChikamotoOutfielderOsaka Gas#2Ryuhei ObataInfielderNobeoka Gakuen High School#3Seiya KinamiInfielderHonda#4Yukiya SaitohPitcherHonda#5Riku KawaharaPitcherSōseikan High School#6Atsuki YuasaPitcherTōyama GRN ThunderbirdsDevelopmental Player Draft#1Yuya KatayamaCatcherFukui Wild Raptors
Chiba Lotte Marines PickPlayer namePositionTeam#1Kyota FujiwaraOutfielderOsaka Tōin High School#2Yusuke AzumaPitcherNippon Sport Science University#3Kazuya OjimaPitcherWaseda University#4Koki YamaguchiOutfielderMeiō High School#5Toshiya NakamuraPitcherAsia University#6Takuro FuruyaPitcherNarashino High School#7Shin MatsudaPitcherHonda#8Hideto DoiPitcherMatsuyama Seiryō High SchoolDevelopmental Player Draft#1Mizuki KamataPitcherTokushima Indigo Socks
Chunichi Dragons PickPlayer namePositionTeam#1Akira NeoInfielderOsaka Tōin High School#2Kodai UmetsuPitcherToyo University#3Akiyoshi KatsunoPitcherMitsubishi Heavy Industries#4Kota IshibashiCatcherKantō Daiichi High School#5Kenshin KakikoshiPitcherYamanashi Gakuin High School#6Kaname TakinoOutfielderOsaka University of Commerce
Orix Buffaloes PickPlayer namePositionTeam#1Ryo OhtaInfielderTenri High School#2Yuma TonguCatcherAsia University#3Yudai AranishiPitcherHonda Kumamoto#4Ryoga TomiyamaPitcherToyota#5Sho GiboCatcherMirai Okinawa High School#6Yu HidarisawaPitcherJX-ENEOS#7Keita NakagawaInfielderToyo UniversityDevelopmental Player Draft#1Taisei UrushiharaPitcherNiigata University of Health and Welfare
Yokohama DeNA Baystars PickPlayer namePositionTeam#1Taiga KamichataniPitcherToyo University#2Yukiya ItohInfielderRissho University#3Shinichi OhnukiPitcherNippon Steel Kashima#4Atsushi KatsumataPitcherNihon University Tsurugaoka High School#5Kyosuke MashikoCatcherSeirantaitō High School#6Naoto ChinoInfielderNiigata Albirex BCDevelopmental Player Draft#1Daita MiyagiPitcherShiga Gakuen High School
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters PickPlayer namePositionTeam#1Kosei YoshidaPitcherKanaashi Agricultural High School#2Yuki NomuraInfielderHanasakitokuharu High School#3Tsubasa NabatamePitcherNippon Express#4Chusei MannamiOutfielderYokohama High School#5Ren KakigiPitcherOsaka Tōin High School#6Yua TamiyaCatcherNarita High School#7Suguru FukudaPitcherSeisa Dohto UniversityDevelopmental Player Draft#1Kazuyoshi EbinaOutfielderTōyama GRN Thunderbirds
Yomiuri Giants PickPlayer namePositionTeam#1Yuki TakahashiPitcherHachinohe Gakuin University#2Riku MasudaInfielderMeishū Gakuen Hitachi High School#3Daisuke NaoePitcherMatsushō Gakuen High School#4Kai YokogawaPitcherOsaka Tōin High School#5Yoshiya MatsuiInfielderOrio Aishin High School#6Shosei TogoPitcherSeishin Ursula Gakuen High SchoolDevelopmental Player Draft#1Kota YamashitaOutfielderTakasaki University of Health and Welfare High School#2Kaisei HiraiPitcherGifu Daiichi High School#3Shohei NumataPitcherAsahikawa University High School#4Hibiki KurodaInfielderTsuruga Kehi High School
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks PickPlayer namePositionTeam#1Hiroshi KainoPitcherToyo University#2Kazuki SugiyamaPitcherMitsubishi Heavy Industries Hiroshima#3Daiju NomuraInfielderWaseda Jikkyo High School#4Yugo BandohPitcherJR East#5Shun MizutaniOutfielderIwami Chisuikan High School#6Keisuke IzumiPitcherKanazawa Seiryo University#7Masato OkumuraPitcherMitsubishi Hitachi Power SystemsDevelopmental Player Draft#1Riku WatanabeCatcherKokugakuin University#2Naoya OkamotoPitcherTokyo University of Agriculture Hokkaido Okhotsk#3Tomoaki ShigetaPitcherKokushikan University#4Takamasa NakamuraOutfielderNishi-Nippon Junior College High School
Tokyo Yakult Swallows PickPlayer namePositionTeam#1Noboru ShimizuPitcherKokugakuin University#2Shōta NakayamaOutfielderHosei University#3Yuta IchikawaPitcherMeitoku Gijuku High School#4Taiki HamadaOutfielderMeihō High School#5Koshiro SakamotoPitcherNippon Steel Hirohata#6Yuta SuzukiPitcherNihon Bunri High School#7Yuto KanakuboCatcherKyushu Kyoritsu University#8Taisei YoshidaInfielderMeiji Yasuda LifeDevelopmental Player Draft#1Taishi UchiyamaCatcherTochigi Golden Braves#2Yu MatsumotoInfielderFukui Wild Raptors
Saitama Seibu Lions PickPlayer namePositionTeam#1Wataru MatsumotoPitcherNippon Sport Science University#2Yutaro WatanabePitcherUrawa Gakuin High School#3Kakeru YamanobeInfielderMitsubishi Motors Okazaki#4Kaito AwatsuPitcherHigashi Nippon International University#5Shoya MakinoCatcherYū Gakkan High School#6Ryosuke MoriwakiPitcherSega Sammy#7Ryusei SatohInfielderFuji UniversityDevelopmenalt Player Draft#1Aoi TohnoPitcherJapan University of Economics#2Jiyu OhkuboPitcherHokkai High School#3Daichi NakagumaCatcherTokuyama University
Hiroshima Toyo Carp PickPlayer namePositionTeam#1Kaito KozonoInfielderHōtoku Gakuen High School#2Sotaro ShimauchiPitcherKyushu Kyoritsu University#3Kota HayashiInfielderChiben Gakuen Wakayama High School#4Takuto NakagamiInfielderGifu Commercial High School#5Norihiko TanakaPitcherKomono High School#6Yuya ShozuiOutfielderAsia University#7Ryutaro HatsukiInfielderKamimura Gakuen High SchoolDevelopmental Player Draft#1Minoru OhmoriOutfielderShizuoka Sangyo University
References
External links プロ野球ドラフト会議 supported by リポビタンD - NPB.jp Nippon Professional Baseball