Four participants in Global Baseball Games picked in NPB Draft first round
The four amateur players who represented Samurai Japan at the Global Baseball Games against Europe in March were all selected in the first round of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Draft 2024.
The Chunichi Dragons selected hard-throwing left-handed pitcher Yumeto Kanemaru (pictured above), who started game two against Team Europe. Yuto Nakamura, who also appeared in that game, was picked by the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.
The Orix Buffaloes selected outfielder Yusuke Mugitani
The Rakuten Golden Eagles selected shortstop Rui Muneyama, who starred for Meji University as a gold-glove calibre middle infielder and collected 116 hits in his college career.
"I have been playing baseball in order for this day to come, and I'm glad that I was highly evaluated," Muneyama told a press conference in Tokyo, as the daily The Mainichi reported. "I aspire to be a player fans will be fond of and who can play for a long time."
The Tokyo Yomiuri Giants selected in the first round infielder Yusei Ishikuza, who was Japan's everyday shortstop at the XIII BFA U-18 Asian Baseball Championship, a qualifier for the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2025.
The Hanshin Tigers selected pitcher Yuki Kosomary in the second round. Kosomary also helped Japan qualify for the U-28 Baseball World Cup 2025.
Pitcher Ryusei Fujita was another second-round pick. The Nippon Ham Fighters selected him from Sagami High School.
Haru Sakai, the third pitcher on Japan's U-18 National Team roster selected in the draft, was picked by the Chiba Lotte Mariners in the fourth round.
The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks selected in the fourth round first-baseman Shinjiro Uno, who batted .333 for Japan at the U-18 Asian Baseball Championship.
The Orix Buffaloes selected pitcher Raiku Katayama in the sixth round. The 22-year-old helped Japan win the Asian Baseball Championship 2023 and quality for the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2024.