# 2017 Nippon Professional Baseball draft

The 2017 Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Draft was held on October 26, 2017, for the 53rd time at the Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa to assign amateur baseball players to the NPB. It was arranged with the special cooperation of Taisho Pharmaceutical Co. with official naming rights. The draft was officially called "The Professional Baseball Draft Meeting supported by Lipovitan D". 2017 marked the 5th consecutive year in which Taisho Pharmaceuticals had sponsored the event.

## Summary

Only the first round picks were allowed to be contested with all picks from the second round onward being based on table placing in the 2017 NPB season in a waiver system. Waiver priority was based on inter-league results. As the Pacific League teams came out on top against Central League opposition, Pacific League teams were given preference. From the third round the order was reversed continuing in the same fashion until all picks were exhausted.
Apart from the selection of Katsuki Azuma by the Yokohama DeNA Baystars, all other picks in the first round went on to be contested being the most this had occurred since 2008.
87 new players were drafted with a further 28 development players selected.

## First Round Contested Picks

| | Player Name | Position | Teams Selected by |
| First Round | Kotaro Kiyomiya | Infielder | Marines, Swallows, Fighters, Giants, Eagles, Tigers, Hawks |
| First Round | Daiki Tajima | Pitcher | Buffaloes, Lions |
| First Round | Shosei Nakamura | Catcher | Carp, Dragons |
| Second Round | Hisanori Yasuda | Infielder | Marines, Tigers, Hawks |
| Second Round | Munetaka Murakami | Infielder | Swallows, Giants, Eagles |
| Third Round | Kosuke Baba | Pitcher | Tigers, Hawks |
* Bolded teams indicate who won the right to negotiate contract following a lottery.
* In the first round, Katsuki Azuma (Pitcher) was selected by the Baystars without a bid lottery.
* In the second round, Hiroshi Suzuki (Pitcher) was selected by the Dragons , and Hiromasa Saito (Pitcher) by the Lions without a bid lottery.
* In the thrird round, Takuya Kuwahara (Pitcher) was selected by the Giants , and Hiroki Kondoh (Pitcher) by the Eagles without a bid lottery.
* In the fourth round, the last remaining the Hawks, selected Haruto Yoshizumi (Pitcher)
* List of selected players.

## Selected Players

Key :
| * | Player did not sign |
* The order of the teams is the order of second round waiver priority.
* Bolded After that, a developmental player who contracted as a registered player under control.
* List of selected players.

### Chiba Lotte Marines

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Hisanori Yasuda | Infielder | Riseisha High School |
| #2 | Yudai Fujioka | Infielder | Toyota Motors |
| #3 | Daiki Yamamoto | Pitcher | Mitsubishi Motors Ozaki |
| #4 | Tsuyoshi Sugano | Outfielder | Hitachi |
| #5 | Keita Watanabe | Pitcher | NTT Communications East Japan |
| #6 | Shoji Nagano | Pitcher | Honda |
| Developmental Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Koshiro Wada | Outfielder | Toyama GRN Thunderbirds |
| #2 | Ryotaro Mori | Pitcher | Miyakonojo Commercial High School |

### Tokyo Yakult Swallows

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Munetaka Murakami | Infielder | Kyushu Gakuin High School |
| #2 | Yuma Ohshita | Pitcher | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Hiroshima |
| #3 | Harutaka Kuramoto | Pitcher | Okayama Shoka University |
| #4 | Yasutaka Shiomi | Outfielder | JX-ENEOS |
| #5 | Yuto Kanakubo | Pitcher | Tokai University Ichihara Boyo High School |
| #6 | Takeshi Miyamoto | Infielder | Nara Gakuen University |
| #7 | Naoki Matsumoto | Catcher | Seino Transportation |
| #8 | Takumi Numata | Pitcher | Ishikawa Million Stars |

### Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Kotaro Kiyomiya | Infielder | Waseda Jitsugyo High School |
| #2 | Takahiro Nishimura | Pitcher | NTT Communications East Japan |
| #3 | Eito Tanaka | Pitcher | Yanagigaura High School |
| #4 | Yuhei Nanba | Infielder | Soshi Gakuen High School |
| #5 | Ryuji Kitaura | Pitcher | Hakuoh University Ashikaga High School |
| #6 | Ryotaro Suzuki | Pitcher | Tohoku Gakuin University |
| #7 | Kohei Miyadai | Pitcher | Tokyo University |

### Chunichi Dragons

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Hiroshi Suzuki | Pitcher | Yamaha |
| #2 | Sho Ishikawa | Pitcher | Seirantaito High School |
| #3 | Wataru Takamatsu | Infielder | Takikawa Daini High School |
| #4 | Tatsuya Shimizu | Pitcher | Hanasaki Tokuharu High School |
| #5 | Kosuke Itoh | Outfielder | Chukyo University High School |
| #6 | Takumi Yamamoto | Pitcher | Nishinomiya Municipal High School |
| Developmental Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Akito Ohkura | Pitcher | Tokushima Indigo Socks |
| #2 | Kento Marc Ishida | Pitcher | Ryukoku University |

### Orix Buffaloes

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Daiki Tajima | Pitcher | JR East |
| #2 | Kōhei Suzuki | Pitcher | Hitachi |
| #3 | Shuhei Fukuda | Infielder | NTT Communications East Japan |
| #4 | Hitomi Honda | Pitcher | Seisa Kokusai High School |
| #5 | Ryō Nishimura | Catcher | Subaru |
| #6 | Hayato Nishiura | Outfielder | Meitoku Gijuku High School |
| #7 | Shinya Hirosawa | Infielder | Oita Commercial High School |
| #8 | Tatsuya Yamaashi | Pitcher | Honda Suzu |
| Developmental Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Hiroki Inatomi | Catcher | Sanda Shosei High School |
| #2 | Kohei Azuma | Pitcher | Kobe Koryo Gaken High School |
| #3 | Akihito Hiyane | Infielder | Hiryū High School |
| #4 | Felipe Kisu de Souza | Catcher | Godenba Nishi High School |

### Yomiuri Giants

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Takuya Kuwahara | Pitcher | Chuo University |
| #2 | Yukinori Kishida | Catcher | Osaka Gas |
| #3 | Takumi Ohshiro | Catcher | NTT Communications West Japan |
| #4 | Takumi Kitamura | Infielder | Asia University |
| #5 | Shunta Tanaka | Infielder | Hitachi |
| #6 | Akihiro Wakabayashi | Infielder | JX-ENEOS |
| #7 | Kaito Murakami | Outfielder | Nara Gakuen University |
| #8 | Dai Yuasa | Infielder | Takasaki University of Health & Welfare High School |
| Developmental Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Kenshin Higa | Infielder | Morioka University High School |
| #2 | Shingo Yamakami | Pitcher | Tokiwa High School |
| #3 | Shun Kasai | Outfielder | Tohoku Fukushi University |
| #4 | Yudai Tanaka | Pitcher | Haguro High School |
| #5 | Rui Hirobatake | Catcher | Rissho University |
| #6 | Shohei Koyama | Catcher | Kansai University |
| #7 | Koki Orishita | Pitcher | Aratano High School |
| #8 | Sota Arai | Outfielder | Sekine Gakuen High School |

### Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Hiroki Kondoh | Pitcher | Okayama Shoka University |
| #2 | Masaki Iwami | Outfielder | Keio University |
| #3 | Tsuyoshi Yamasaki | Intfielder | Kokugakuin University |
| #4 | Yuki Watanabe | Pitcher | Yokohama College of Commerce |
| #5 | Akito Tanaka | Outfielder | Hyogo Blue Sundars |
| #6 | Kenji Nishimaki | Infielder | Sendai Ikuei High School |
| #7 | Kanji Teraoka | Pitcher | Ishikawa Million Stars |
| Developmental Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Ryutaro Ide | Pitcher | Kyushu Sangyo University |
| #2 | Kyojiro Matsumoto | Infielder | Kōnan High School |
| #3 | Kazuki Nakamura | Outfielder | Tenri University |

### Yokohama DeNA Baystars

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Katsuki Azuma | Pitcher | Ritsumeikan University |
| #2 | Kazuki Kamizato | Outfielder | Nippon Life |
| #3 | Kosuke Sakaguchi | Pitcher | Hokkai High School |
| #4 | Shunsuke Saito | Pitcher | JX-ENEOS |
| #5 | Shuto Sakurai | Pitcher | Nihon University Dai-san High School |
| #6 | Koki Terada | Pitcher | Ishikawa Million Stars |
| #7 | Shūmei Miyamoto | Infielder | Panasonic |
| #8 | Taishi Kusumoto | Infielder | Tohoku Fukushi University |
| #9 | Yūdai Yamamoto | Catcher | Shiga United Baseball club |
| Developmental Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Koh Nakagawa | Pitcher | Minoshima High School |

### Saitama Seibu Lions

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Hiromasa Saito | Pitcher | Meiji University |
| #2 | Manaya Nishikawa | Outfielder | Hanasaki Tokuharu High SChool |
| #3 | Sho Itoh | Pitcher | Tokushima Indigo Socks |
| #4 | Kaima Taira | Outfielder | Yaeyama Commercial High School |
| #5 | Kaito Yoza | Pitcher | Gifu Keizai University |
| #6 | Ryusei Tsunashima | Infielder | Itoigawa Hakurei High School |
| Developmental Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Wataru Takagi | Outfielder | Shinsōkan High School |
| #2 | Masato Saito | Catcher | Hokkaido University of Education |

### Hanshin Tigers

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Kosuke Baba | Pitcher | Sendai University |
| #2 | Haruto Takahashi | Pitcher | Asia University |
| #3 | Takahiro Kumagai | Infielder | Rikkyo University |
| #4 | Kairi Shimada | Outfielder | Jobu University |
| #5 | Masaki Tanigawa | Pitcher | Mitsubishi Motors Kyushu |
| #6 | Johichiro Maki | Pitcher | Keishin High School |
| Developmental Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Masaki Ishii | Pitcher | Jobu University |

### Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Haruto Yoshizumi | Pitcher | Tsuruoka Higashi High School |
| #2 | Rei Takahashi | Pitcher | Senshū University |
| #3 | Shu Masuda | Outfielder | Yokohama High School |
| #4 | Arata Shiino | Pitcher | Kokushikan University |
| #5 | Fumimaru Taura | Pitcher | Shūgakukan High School |
| Developmental Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Shuto Ogata | Pitcher | Gakuhou Ishikawa High School |
| #2 | Ukyo Shuto | Infielder | Tokyo University of Agriculture Hokkaido Okhotsk |
| #3 | Richard Sunagawa | Outfielder | Okinawa Shogaku High School |
| #4 | Kotaro Ohtake | Pitcher | Waseda University |
| #5 | Yamato Higurashi | Outfielder | Tachibana Gakuen High School |
| #6 | Yuta Watanabe | Pitcher | Niigata Albirex Baseball club |

### Hiroshima Toyo Carp

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Shosei Nakamura | Catcher | Koryo High School |
| #2 | Sho Yamaguchi | Pitcher | Kumamoto Technical High School |
| #3 | Makoto Brad Kemna | Pitcher | Nippon Bunri University |
| #4 | Atsushi Nagai | Outfielder | Nishogakusha University High School |
| #5 | Atsushi Endoh | Pitcher | Kasumigaura High School |
| #6 | Takato Hiraoka | Pitcher | Chubu Gakuin University |
| Developmental Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Tsubasa Okabayashi | Pitcher | Komono High School |
| #2 | Reira Fujii | Pitcher | Omagari Technical High School |
| #3 | Ken Sasaki | Pitcher | Ogasa High School |