# 2018 Nippon Professional Baseball draft

The 2018 Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Draft was held on October 25, 2018, for the 54th 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". 2018 marked the 6th 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 2018 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.

## First round Contested Picks

| | Player Name | Position | Teams Selected by |
| First round | Akira Neo | Infielder | Dragons, Fighters, Giants, Swallows |
| First round | Kaito Kozono | Infielder | Buffaloes, Baystars, Hawks, Carp |
| First round | Kyota Fujiwara | Outfielder | Eagles, Marines, Tigers |
| Second round | Ryosuke Tatsumi | Outfielder | Eagles, Tigers, Giants, Hawks |
| Second round | Taiga Kamichatani | Pitcher | Baystars, Swallows |
* Bolded teams indicate who won the right to negotiate contract following a lottery.
* In the first round, Wataru Matsumoto (Pitcher) was selected by the Lions without a bid lottery.
* In the second round, Ryo Ohta (Infielder) was selected by the Buffaloes without a bid lottery.
* In the thrird round, Koji Chikamoto (Outfielder) was selected by the Tigers, Yuki Takahashi (Pitcher) by the Giants ,Hiroshi Kaino (Pitcher) by the Hawks, and Noboru Shimizu (Pitcher) by the Swallows without a bid lottery.
* 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.

### Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Ryosuke Tatsumi | Outfielder | Ritsumeikan University |
| #2 | Hikaru Ohta | Catcher | Osaka University of Commerce |
| #3 | Shoichiro Hikiji | Pitcher | Kureshiki Commercial High School |
| #4 | Hayato Yuge | Pitcher | Subaru |
| #5 | Tomoki Satoh | Pitcher | Yamagata Chuo High School |
| #6 | Yoshiaki Watanabe | Infielder | Meiji University |
| #7 | Yuta Ogo | Pitcher | Rissho University |
| #8 | Sora Suzuki | Pitcher | Fuji University |
| Developmental Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Kotaro Seimiya | Pitcher | Yachiyo Shōin High School |
| #2 | Yoshiki Norimoto | Pitcher | Yamagishi Logisters |

### Hanshin Tigers

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Koji Chikamoto | Outfielder | Osaka Gas |
| #2 | Ryuhei Obata | Infielder | Nobeoka Gakuen High School |
| #3 | Seiya Kinami | Infielder | Honda |
| #4 | Yukiya Saitoh | Pitcher | Honda |
| #5 | Riku Kawahara | Pitcher | Sōseikan High School |
| #6 | Atsuki Yuasa | Pitcher | Tōyama GRN Thunderbirds |
| Developmental Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Yuya Katayama | Catcher | Fukui Wild Raptors |

### Chiba Lotte Marines

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Kyota Fujiwara | Outfielder | Osaka Tōin High School |
| #2 | Yusuke Azuma | Pitcher | Nippon Sport Science University |
| #3 | Kazuya Ojima | Pitcher | Waseda University |
| #4 | Koki Yamaguchi | Outfielder | Meiō High School |
| #5 | Toshiya Nakamura | Pitcher | Asia University |
| #6 | Takuro Furuya | Pitcher | Narashino High School |
| #7 | Shin Matsuda | Pitcher | Honda |
| #8 | Hideto Doi | Pitcher | Matsuyama Seiryō High School |
| Developmental Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Mizuki Kamata | Pitcher | Tokushima Indigo Socks |

### Chunichi Dragons

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Akira Neo | Infielder | Osaka Tōin High School |
| #2 | Kodai Umetsu | Pitcher | Toyo University |
| #3 | Akiyoshi Katsuno | Pitcher | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
| #4 | Kota Ishibashi | Catcher | Kantō Daiichi High School |
| #5 | Kenshin Kakikoshi | Pitcher | Yamanashi Gakuin High School |
| #6 | Kaname Takino | Outfielder | Osaka University of Commerce |

### Orix Buffaloes

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Ryo Ohta | Infielder | Tenri High School |
| #2 | Yuma Tongu | Catcher | Asia University |
| #3 | Yudai Aranishi | Pitcher | Honda Kumamoto |
| #4 | Ryoga Tomiyama | Pitcher | Toyota |
| #5 | Sho Gibo | Catcher | Mirai Okinawa High School |
| #6 | Yu Hidarisawa | Pitcher | JX-ENEOS |
| #7 | Keita Nakagawa | Infielder | Toyo University |
| Developmental Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Taisei Urushihara | Pitcher | Niigata University of Health and Welfare |

### Yokohama DeNA Baystars

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Taiga Kamichatani | Pitcher | Toyo University |
| #2 | Yukiya Itoh | Infielder | Rissho University |
| #3 | Shinichi Ohnuki | Pitcher | Nippon Steel Kashima |
| #4 | Atsushi Katsumata | Pitcher | Nihon University Tsurugaoka High School |
| #5 | Kyosuke Mashiko | Catcher | Seirantaitō High School |
| #6 | Naoto Chino | Infielder | Niigata Albirex BC |
| Developmental Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Daiya Miyagi | Pitcher | Shiga Gakuen High School |

### Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Kosei Yoshida | Pitcher | Kanaashi Agricultural High School |
| #2 | Yuki Nomura | Infielder | Hanasakitokuharu High School |
| #3 | Tsubasa Nabatame | Pitcher | Nippon Express |
| #4 | Chusei Mannami | Outfielder | Yokohama High School |
| #5 | Ren Kakigi | Pitcher | Osaka Tōin High School |
| #6 | Yua Tamiya | Catcher | Narita High School |
| #7 | Suguru Fukuda | Pitcher | Seisa Dohto University |
| Developmental Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Kazuyoshi Ebina | Outfielder | Tōyama GRN Thunderbirds |

### Yomiuri Giants

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Yuki Takahashi | Pitcher | Hachinohe Gakuin University |
| #2 | Riku Masuda | Infielder | Meishū Gakuen Hitachi High School |
| #3 | Daisuke Naoe | Pitcher | Matsushō Gakuen High School |
| #4 | Kai Yokogawa | Pitcher | Osaka Tōin High School |
| #5 | Yoshiya Matsui | Infielder | Orio Aishin High School |
| #6 | Shosei Togo | Pitcher | Seishin Ursula Gakuen High School |
| Developmental Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Kota Yamashita | Outfielder | Takasaki University of Health and Welfare High School |
| #2 | Kaisei Hirai | Pitcher | Gifu Daiichi High School |
| #3 | Shohei Numata | Pitcher | Asahikawa University High School |
| #4 | Hibiki Kuroda | Infielder | Tsuruga Kehi High School |

### Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Hiroshi Kaino | Pitcher | Toyo University |
| #2 | Kazuki Sugiyama | Pitcher | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Hiroshima |
| #3 | Daiju Nomura | Infielder | Waseda Jikkyo High School |
| #4 | Yugo Bandoh | Pitcher | JR East |
| #5 | Shun Mizutani | Outfielder | Iwami Chisuikan High School |
| #6 | Keisuke Izumi | Pitcher | Kanazawa Seiryo University |
| #7 | Masato Okumura | Pitcher | Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems |
| Developmental Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Riku Watanabe | Catcher | Kokugakuin University |
| #2 | Naoya Okamoto | Pitcher | Tokyo University of Agriculture Hokkaido Okhotsk |
| #3 | Tomoaki Shigeta | Pitcher | Kokushikan University |
| #4 | Takamasa Nakamura | Outfielder | Nishi-Nippon Junior College High School |

### Tokyo Yakult Swallows

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Noboru Shimizu | Pitcher | Kokugakuin University |
| #2 | Shōta Nakayama | Outfielder | Hosei University |
| #3 | Yuta Ichikawa | Pitcher | Meitoku Gijuku High School |
| #4 | Taiki Hamada | Outfielder | Meihō High School |
| #5 | Koshiro Sakamoto | Pitcher | Nippon Steel Hirohata |
| #6 | Yuta Suzuki | Pitcher | Nihon Bunri High School |
| #7 | Yuto Kanakubo | Catcher | Kyushu Kyoritsu University |
| #8 | Taisei Yoshida | Infielder | Meiji Yasuda Life |
| Developmental Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Taishi Uchiyama | Catcher | Tochigi Golden Braves |
| #2 | Yu Matsumoto | Infielder | Fukui Wild Raptors |

### Saitama Seibu Lions

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Wataru Matsumoto | Pitcher | Nippon Sport Science University |
| #2 | Yutaro Watanabe | Pitcher | Urawa Gakuin High School |
| #3 | Kakeru Yamanobe | Infielder | Mitsubishi Motors Okazaki |
| #4 | Kaito Awatsu | Pitcher | Higashi Nippon International University |
| #5 | Shoya Makino | Catcher | Yū Gakkan High School |
| #6 | Ryosuke Moriwaki | Pitcher | Sega Sammy |
| #7 | Ryusei Satoh | Infielder | Fuji University |
| Developmenalt Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Aoi Tohno | Pitcher | Japan University of Economics |
| #2 | Jiyu Ohkubo | Pitcher | Hokkai High School |
| #3 | Daichi Nakaguma | Catcher | Tokuyama University |

### Hiroshima Toyo Carp

| Pick | Player Name | Position | Team |
| #1 | Kaito Kozono | Infielder | Hōtoku Gakuen High School |
| #2 | Sotaro Shimauchi | Pitcher | Kyushu Kyoritsu University |
| #3 | Kota Hayashi | Infielder | Chiben Gakuen Wakayama High School |
| #4 | Takuto Nakagami | Infielder | Gifu Commercial High School |
| #5 | Norihiko Tanaka | Pitcher | Komono High School |
| #6 | Yuya Shozui | Outfielder | Asia University |
| #7 | Ryutaro Hatsuki | Infielder | Kamimura Gakuen High School |
| Developmental Player Draft ||||
| #1 | Minoru Ohmori | Outfielder | Shizuoka Sangyo University |