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RETURN to Teams Page
NPB Japanese Professional Baseball Draft
Guide
by Brandon Siefken, JapanBall.com
(This page to remain posted until just before 2010 season.)
For the first time in years the draft for the 2009 season
subjected all amateur levels (high school, university, and industrial league) to
the same draft.
Each team is ranked and graded using three criteria:
- How a team met its needs;
- What talent was drafted...and passed by; and,
- The value received for the round.
A brief recap of team statistics are given before the
analysis.
| Team: |
Giants |
Draft Rank: |
3 |
Grade: |
B+ |
|
2008 Statistical Finish out of Six Clubs in League |
| Record |
84-57-3 (1st) |
RBI |
631 (2nd) |
| RA* |
532 (2nd) |
ERA |
3.37 (2nd) |
| * Runs Allowed |
First Round: Taishi Ota is a beast. He reminds me of Hideki
Matsui in high school, with poorer mechanics and better power. He hit over 60
home runs in his career and can step in right away. However, Yomiuri is
stocked with talent, so his playing chances might be scarce this year. He'll
also not play shortstop in the pros. But he was the best player overall, and
getting him is great for any team.
Second Round: Takefumi Miyamoto, a highly regarded pitcher
form Kurashiki High School. He has a lot of potential and throws over
91mph.
Third Round: Keisuke Saito, the best pitcher in high school
last year. He's huge, polished and an absolute workhorse. If a lesser team
drafted him he'd start right away. The Giants don't need him to start yet, so
they have the luxury of stashing him in their depth chart.
Two infielders and a pitcher round out the Giants draft and
they did themselves well, stockpiling talent that can come in and play when
called upon.
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