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The story
Musashi Nagayama, a third-year pitcher at Nihon Wellness Okinawa High School (fastball topping out at 147 km/h) who was selected by SoftBank as its 9th development-player pick, announced on his Instagram on the 11th that he is turning down the offer to instead pursue a career in American baseball. On the thread, opinions split between those cheering him on with comments like “If he’s only a 9th-round development pick, he should just go the route he wants,” and those questioning the move with comments like “Topping out at 147 km/h, thinking he can make it overseas is delusional.” Unconfirmed claims that his father is American also circulated, fueling curiosity about what’s behind his decision.
18-Year-Old Right-Hander Who Turned Down SoftBank Heads for American Baseball — “After Agonizing Over My Future Again and Again, This Is What I Decided,” Says 147 km/h Thrower Musashi Nagayama of Nihon Wellness Okinawa, Despite Being Picked 9th in the Development Draft
It was revealed on the 11th that Musashi Nagayama, a third-year, 147 km/h right-hander from Nihon Wellness Okinawa who was selected by SoftBank as its 9th development-player pick in the draft meeting, has turned down the offer and will instead pursue a career in American baseball.
On the same day, Nagayama announced on his own Instagram, alongside his decision to decline the offer, his intention to pursue American baseball.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Read the original article here
What people said
No point staying stuck in such a small world
(If I said it's actually a drugstore chain, you'd give away what region I'm from)
SoftBank's environment would've been better for him
Copying soccer's whole 'go overseas' mindset
But baseball's only got pro baseball lol
Baseball really is a small world
At the very first draft meeting, only 37.9% of the players picked actually signed
Don't bother drafting a guy like that lol
He's on a bargain-bin signing bonus anyway, so let him do what he wants
Re: #11
What draft rank were you, old man, talking so high and mighty from the bottom of 5ch?
Especially if he's from Okinawa with US-military ties and can already speak English
They're the one team that's genuinely trying to win
Other teams seem fine as long as the business side is making money
They draft a ton and cut a ton
For development players, they're happy if even one guy turns out
It's basically a sacrificial-pawn slot
Though I doubt fans care what happens to the development guys anyway
SoftBank derailed his whole life
Getting drafted by SoftBank doesn't actually stop him from going to college and playing baseball though
If it's uncertain even staying in Japan, betting on the dream might be the better call
He's basically being treated as throwaway.
They're only taking him on a long shot.
Honestly he'd be better off going to America and signing a minor-league deal
His father's apparently an American instructor
So he's fluent in English too
This whole thing sounds more like he's moving to his dad's home country, America
High risk, low reward
If he can speak English, going straight to the US is way better
If the majors are the goal, this is the right call
He'd probably get cut in a year or two anyway, and it'd be embarrassing to call himself an 'ex-pro' after that
In a way, I think this is actually smart
Living on a minor-league salary, he probably couldn't even cover that bill
And with SoftBank's development track, wouldn't he even start on the third-string squad?
His situation's different from Oda's
If he's got the drive and the money to try his luck in America, he should go for it
Though if Oda sees a guy like this in the news too, it might actually boost his own motivation to head to America
He's already 28, so he might as well chase the dream and cross the ocean
No, he's an 18-year-old high schooler
Given he was only rated a 9th-round development pick, and his father's American so he can probably speak English,
trying his luck in America seems totally reasonable
Background and Key Points of Debate
NPB’s development-player (“ikusei”) system is a separate track from the main active roster — players on it aren’t eligible to appear in top-team games until formally promoted, and their salaries and treatment are kept low. That institutional status is why so many commenters said things like “If he’s only a 9th-round development pick, he should just go the route he wants.” At the same time, harsh takes like “Topping out at 147 km/h, thinking he can make it overseas is delusional” also came up, and opinions split over how to weigh the development-pick evaluation itself. Worth noting: the claim circulating in the thread that his father is an American instructor is anonymous-forum speculation, not an official statement from the team or the player, and the article offers no confirmation of it. In recent years, cases of high schoolers bypassing the NPB draft route altogether to try their luck overseas have also drawn attention, and commenters in the thread pointed to similar examples.
*This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Geisports Sokuho+) thread “[Baseball] SoftBank’s 9th-Round Development Draft Pick Musashi Nagayama Turns Down Contract… Announces Bid for American Baseball — 147 km/h Right-Hander from Nihon Wellness Okinawa.”
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