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LEAD: Softbank picks right-hander Oba in draft
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TOKYO, Nov. 19 (17:26) Kyodo
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(EDS: UPDATING WITH MORE INFO, CORRECTING RECORD IN 2ND GRAF)
The Softbank Hawks won the right to negotiate a deal with Toyo
University right-hander Shota Oba in the first round of Japanese
baseball's amateur draft on Monday.
Softbank won the six-team lottery for Oba, who has set Tohto
University Baseball League records with 14 straight wins and 410
strikeouts, after the Orix Buffaloes, the Yokohama BayStars, the
Hanshin Tigers, the Nippon Ham Fighters and the Yomiuri Giants also
named him in the first round of bids.
''I had butterflies in my stomach while waiting for the result.
I'm filled with happiness,'' Oba said. ''Softbank has a strong
pitching staff. I would like to aim for double-digit wins and the
Rookie of the Year award.''
Softbank manager Sadaharu Oh, who has notified Softbank players
of his plan to step down after the 2008 season, said, ''I believe he
(Oba) can make an immediate impact for the team. My desire to win
next season is getting stronger.''
Aichi Institute of Technology left-hander Kohei Hasebe, the only
amateur player among final candidates for the national team playing
in the Dec. 1-3 Beijing Olympic qualifiers in Taiwan, drew bids from
five teams.
The Rakuten Eagles won the lottery for Hasebe, a university
student, over the Seibu Lions, the Hiroshima Carp, the Lotte Marines
and the Chunichi Dragons.
The Yakult Swallows obtained the right to hold contract talks
with Keio University left-hander Mikinori Kato as they were the sole
team to make a bid. Kato earned 30 wins in the Tokyo Big Six League.
Nippon Ham named former Cleveland Indians right-hander Kazuhito
Tadano in the first round after its failed bid for Oba.
Tadano has a 1-1 record with a 4.47 ERA in 15 games, including
four starts, for the Indians in 2004-2005. He was released by the
Oakland Athletics' Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento this fall.
Monday's draft was designed to choose players who were not
covered in the draft for high school players held in October, with
collegiate and corporate league players comprising the bulk of picks.
Japanese baseball abolished this year the so-called
''kibo-waku'' system, which allows notable amateur players to
designate professional teams they wish to join and vice-versa,
following a series of scouting scandals. |
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