On the 1th, pitcher Yuji Maeda of Osaka Toin High School, who was drafted No. 27 by SoftBank at the professional baseball draft meeting, received a greeting from the team and expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "I want to play in the first team as soon as possible."
Maeda is a left-handed pitcher who throws a changeup with good control, such as a straight pitch and a changeup, and was selected by three clubs with the second No. 26 pick at the draft meeting on the 3th, and SoftBank won the negotiating rights as a result of the lottery.
On the 2th, Maeda received a greeting at a school in Daito City, Osaka, from Tomohiro Nagai, general manager of SoftBank's Formation and Development Division, and others.
He smiled when he said, "Kyushu is similar to Kansai and the fans are cheering for it, so I think it would be a good fit for Maeda."
After this, Maeda was handed a piece of paper and a ball signed by Sadaharu Oh, the president of the baseball team, and Yuki Kokubo, both of whom served as the managers of the Japan National Team, and vowed, "When I saw the autographs of these two great players, I wanted to become a player that everyone knows."
"They told me, 'I want you to be an ace in the future,' and I think we have to behave appropriately not only in terms of technology, but also in everything. I want to build up my body and play an active role in the 2st Army as soon as possible."