The Chiba Lotte Marines selected WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2025 presented by RAXUS star Genki Ishigaki (Takahashi University of Health and Welfare) in the first round of the 2025 Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Draft.
Ishigaki impressed at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Okinawa, where his fastball repeatedly exceeded 157 kilometres per hour (or 97.5 miles per hour).
He starred in Japan’s bullpen. Ishigaki pitched three games, including the gold-medal game against USA, and a combined 7.1 innings, allowing only one earned run and striking out seven.
NPB clubs selected two more WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2025 silver medalists.
The Hanshin Tigers picked right-handed pitcher Saku Hayase (Kamimura Gakuen High School) in the fourth round. Hayase didn’t allow a run in five innings over three games during the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup. He allowed three hits and two walks, while striking out six.
The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters selected Kaito Fujimori (Meitoku Gijuki High School) in the fifth round. Fujimori, a left-handed hitter, was Japan’s starting left fielder in Okinawa. He can also play catcher.
NPB clubs selected 73 players and 43 development players during the Draft. The list includes infielder Rintaro Sasaki. The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks selected him out of Stanford University in the USA.
