Is it the strongest power I've ever bought with money…It even has a fourth-tier team, but the main focus of pitching is external FA, and rookie designated players refuse to join the team

Dec 21, 2024

Softbank, which started anew under coach Kobe, ranked first in the Pacific League this season. He passed the climax series lightly and advanced to the Japan Series, but turned in vain. Coach Kokubo and the fourth batter Yamakawa. Photo capture = Softbank Hawks SNS

Kondo moved to Softbank from Nippon Ham as an FA last year. He became the home run-run king in his first year of transfer and became the only player in the Pacific League to hit .300 this year. Photo capture = Softbank Hawks SNS

Yamakawa hits a home run and performs a unique hooray ceremony. Last winter, he left Seibu and moved to Softbank. He became the home run-run champion this season. Photo capture = Softbank Hawks SNS

The 'strongest' Softbank Hawks are the only 12 teams in the Japanese professional baseball league to have a fourth division under the third division. Due to the large size of the team, nearly 20 rookie players join every year. SoftBank picked 19 players in the rookie draft held in October. It officially picked six people and 13 people through fostering. It is nearly twice as many as other clubs.

However, Softbank is a team that seeks to win the championship every year, placing importance on fostering. Every offseason, we invest generously in strengthening our power. The Yomiuri Giants have been sucking up the best player for a long time, and Softbank took over. Foreign players are also the best players that no other team can dare to do. Thanks to these investments, Softbank, which acquired Daiei Hawks, was able to quickly leap to the top team.

Softbank won the Japan Series seven times in 10 years from 2011 to 2020. In 2017-2020, he won four consecutive Japan Series titles. In the 2019-2020 Japan Series, he won four consecutive games against Yomiuri for the second consecutive year. Yomiuri's internal injuries were deep.

There is a shade under the colorful lights.

Softbank gave up renewing its contract with right-hander Junpei Takahashi and outfielder Naoki Sato (25) in October last year. Both players are the No. 1 designated players for the Softbank rookie. As of last year, four first-designated players left the team for 10 years.

In some cases, the nominated player gives up joining the team. Even if you passed the narrow path of becoming a professional player, you only passed the first gate. Opportunities come back only when you win a fierce competition. Competition is inevitable in the professional world, but this process is too difficult for SoftBank.

The competition for survival is fiercer as the main players of pitching are recruited from outside. Very few will make it to the first team. Every offseason, numerous players leave the team without ever playing in the first team.

Infielders Snaga and Richard (25) have won the second division home run title for the fifth consecutive year so far this year. He won two home runs and RBIs for two consecutive years in 2022-2023. Nevertheless, he failed to establish himself in the first team. It is largely due to poor performance in the first team, but they were not guaranteed steady opportunities. He signed the contract after agonizing over leaving the team.

This year, Softbank ranked first in team batting average and scoring among the 12 teams in both leagues. No. 4 Yamakawa Hotakawa and No. 5 Kondo Kensuke were active. Yamakawa ranked first in home runs and RBIs, and Kondo was the only one in the Pacific League with a .300 batting average.

Arihara won the Yokohama and Japan Series and hit the final shot. A native of Nippon Ham, he joined Softbank last year after playing in the Major League. Photo capture = Softbank Hawks SNS

Kondo, who played for the Nippon Ham Fighters, moved to Softbank last year and became the home run and RBI king. When he came to the FA market, there was a scramble. There is no team to push SoftBank out of the money fight. It signed a seven-year contract of 5 billion yen (about 46.4 billion won).

Yamakawa left the Seibu Lions after the end of the 2023 season and changed into a Softbank uniform. The contract was signed on the condition of receiving four years to 1.6 billion yen (about 14.85 billion won). Certain investments have returned to definite results. In his first season of transfer, he won his fourth career home run title.

With Yuki Yanagita unable to operate normally due to injury, Kondo and Yamakawa, who were recruited as outside FA, led the Softbank lineup.

A.C.E, go-hey. He is the winner of the Pacific League's most wins this season. He won 10 games last year and 14 games this year. He returned to the Major League after two years and became a Softbank player. I was throwing in Nippon Ham and got on a plane to the US through the posting system. Upon returning to Japan, he chose Softbank rather than Nippon Ham. Softbank gave him three years to 1.2 billion yen (about 11.14 billion won).

SoftBank recently announced the recruitment of right-handers Wausawa Naoyuki. He started at Nippon Ham and returned after experiencing a little bit of Major League Baseball this year, holding hands with Softbank. 일본언

Right-hander Uwasa recently signed a four-year-1 billion yen contract with SoftBank. He pitched four innings in two major league games for Boston this season. Sports Chosun DB

Softbank closer Osuna. Last winter, he renewed his contract for four years to four billion yen. Photo capture = Softbank Hawks SNS

Ron estimates that he signed a four-year contract worth 1 billion yen (about 9.3 billion won). Nippon Ham, who allowed and cheered for his major league challenge, feels very betrayed.

Three of the four main players brought from outside in the last three years are from Nippon Ham. All four were taken from the same Pacific League team. When Yamakawa played in Seibu's away game this year, boos poured in from the stands at Verunadom.

Softbank has two players who will receive an annual salary of 1 billion yen next year. Mexican closer Roberto Osuna and Cuban starting pitcher Livan Moinello. Osuna joined Chiba Lotte Marines during the 2022 season and then moved to Softbank that winter. It was possible because Softbank made bets at a level that Chiba Lotte could not afford.

Even if Softbank is serious about fostering, it is ultimately maintaining its strongest power with the power of money. This is the irony of a team that runs up to the fourth division.

"Absolute Power" Softbank faltered after lifting the Japan Series trophy for the last time in 2020. Under manager Hiroki Kokubo this season, he revived with the highest winning rate in both leagues. He won the Pacific League for the first time in four years.

Softbank topped the Pacific League for the first time in four years this season. However, the finish was not good. In the Japan Series, Yokohama lost two consecutive games and lost four in a row. Photo capture = Softbank Hawks SNS

It didn't seem difficult to win the Japan Series for the first time in four years. However, he won the first and second games in the Yokohama BayStars and Japan Series and won four consecutive games. There was a nightmare drama like a lie that collapsed in vain on the third-place team in the Central League.

huelva@sportschosun.com