SoftBank introduced their five draft picks today at a welcoming party, and Sadaharu Oh mentioned that they want to take a hands off approach with first-round pick Kenta Imamiya. Said the former manager, "I'm against telling newly acquired players what to do. I want to see what he's made of before I do anything."
Kenta Imamiya #2
Hiroyuki Kawahara #26
Yuki Shimooki #65
Keiji Nakahara #10
Koji Toyofuku #68
Imamiya is an interesting beast because not only did he hit 62 home runs in high school, but he also as hit as high as 154 km/h on the radar gun. His combined skill set reminds me of top Boston Red Sox prospect Casey Kelly (before he decided to focus on pitching). It will be interesting to see where SoftBank decides to put him.
Still no hope (and no draft picks) at the catcher position, but the Hawks have tons of catchers on the extended roster. I hope that Hayato Dohue or Hiroaki Takaya finally get it together with the bat.
As usual, the Hawks drafted a couple of pitchers in Kawahara (LHP) and Shimooki (RHP). It's a prudent move on the part of the Hawks to keep on drafting for the future, especially since not too many of the Hawks pitchers have panned out recently.
Outfielder Nakahara has assumed Honma's #10, although it's hard to gauge if or how he'll fit into the team's outfield plans. Toyofuku Koji is another infielder, but with so many players ready and able, it will be a long time (if ever) he'll see time.
Previous Topic
Kenta Imamiya #2
Hiroyuki Kawahara #26
Yuki Shimooki #65
Keiji Nakahara #10
Koji Toyofuku #68
Imamiya is an interesting beast because not only did he hit 62 home runs in high school, but he also as hit as high as 154 km/h on the radar gun. His combined skill set reminds me of top Boston Red Sox prospect Casey Kelly (before he decided to focus on pitching). It will be interesting to see where SoftBank decides to put him.
Still no hope (and no draft picks) at the catcher position, but the Hawks have tons of catchers on the extended roster. I hope that Hayato Dohue or Hiroaki Takaya finally get it together with the bat.
As usual, the Hawks drafted a couple of pitchers in Kawahara (LHP) and Shimooki (RHP). It's a prudent move on the part of the Hawks to keep on drafting for the future, especially since not too many of the Hawks pitchers have panned out recently.
Outfielder Nakahara has assumed Honma's #10, although it's hard to gauge if or how he'll fit into the team's outfield plans. Toyofuku Koji is another infielder, but with so many players ready and able, it will be a long time (if ever) he'll see time.