We need to look at why top draft picks don’t develop

When the team won their fourth consecutive Japan Series title in 2020, owner Masayoshi Son declared that they would surpass the V9 (nine consecutive Japan Series victories) achieved by the Giants from 1965 to 1973. This declaration was credible, as the team had won four straight games in the Japan Series against the Central League champions, the Giants, for two consecutive years in 2019 and 2020.

After falling to fourth place the following year (2021), manager Kudo Kimiyasu resigned and Fujimoto Hirofumi, who had been the manager of the second team, was appointed as the new manager. Although the team maintained its A-class status by finishing second in 2022 and third in 2023, the invincible spirit of the four consecutive championships had faded, and the team made major reinforcements of 8 billion yen in the off-season of 2022, and in the off-season of 2023, acquired Yamakawa Hotaka, who exercised his free agent rights. They were acting like the Giants of the 1990s, slapping players on the cheek with a wad of cash to pressure them into joining the team.

But SoftBank has won so much that it has become timid.

Last year, new foreign players Galvis, Astudillo, and Hawkins were completely unable to contribute to the team’s roster, and Despaigne, who was released at the end of 2022, was re-signed in June 2023 (he left the team in the off-season of 2023), but it has been rare to see such an embarrassing acquisition of a foreign player.

Seibu is thrilled to have released Yamakawa, who lost the support of fans, and acquired Kaino Hiroshi, who pitched in 46 games as a setup man last year, with 3 wins, 1 loss, 2 saves, 11 hold points, and an ERA of 2.53. On the other hand, will SoftBank use Yamakawa as a DH and leave Walker, who they released Takahashi Rei and Izumi Keisuke to acquire, on the bench?

Many of the former top draft picks have left the team this offseason, including Yuto Mori (2nd pick in 2013), Junpei Takahashi (1st pick in 2015), Rei Takahashi (2nd pick in 2017), Hiroshi Kaino (1st pick in 2018), Naoki Sato (1st pick in 2019), and Masayoshi Tanaka (1st pick in 2016), who moved to Nippon-Ham as compensation for Kensuke Kondo, who also moved as a free agent last year.

Perhaps this is a sign that the SoftBank organizational team, which has developed a draft strategy through trial and error, has finally come to a decision regarding the draft.

From now on, instead of using wisdom and ingenuity, we will only use money to strengthen our players. If that is the case, the two farm stadiums and training facilities built in Chikugo may have been a waste of money.

Looking back at past nominations, we have to go back to Kyohei Tohama in 2012 to reach the success line with the first draft pick. There is no other team like this. I hope that Tomoya Inoue (2020), Kyubata Kazama (2121), Itsua Ihine (2221), and Yugo Maeda (2323), who have yet to find an answer, will be given at least a chance.

It seems that the Hawks have decided not to promote young players who are not sure whether they have the ability to be in the first team or not. Is he thinking that he has a woman he wants to marry, but he won’t marry her until he has the financial foundation to make her happy? Isn’t it a matter of asking her to work hard together? I hope that the new manager, Hiroki Kokubo, will be courageous in his decisions.