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Monday November 19, 3:34 PMBaseball: Softbank picks right-hander Oba in draft(Kyodo) _ The Softbank Hawks won the right to negotiate a deal with Toyo University right-hander Shota Oba in the first round of Japanese baseball's amateur draft on Monday.Softbank won the six-team lottery for Oba, who has set Toyo University records with 14 straight wins and 410 strikeouts, after the Orix Buffaloes, the Yokohama BayStars, the Hanshin Tigers, the Nippon Ham Fighters and the Yomiuri Giants also named him in the first round of bids. "I had butterflies in my stomach while waiting for the result. I'm filled with happiness," Oba said. "Softbank has a strong pitching staff. I would like to aim for double-digit wins and the Rookie of the Year award." Softbank manager Sadaharu Oh, who has notified Softbank players of his plan to step down after the 2008 season, said, "I believe he (Oba) can make an immediate impact for the team. My desire to win next season is getting stronger." Aichi Institute of Technology left-hander Kohei Hasebe, the only amateur player among final candidates for the national team playing in the Dec. 1-3 Beijing Olympic qualifiers in Taiwan, drew bids from five teams. The Rakuten Eagles won the lottery for Hasebe, a university student, over the Seibu Lions, the Hiroshima Carp, the Lotte Marines and the Chunichi Dragons. The Yakult Swallows obtained the right to hold contract talks with Keio University left-hander Mikinori Kato as they were the sole team to make a bid. Kato earned 30 wins in the Tokyo Big Six League. Monday's draft was designed to choose players who were not covered in the draft for high school players held in October, with collegiate and corporate league players comprising the bulk of picks. |
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