The Japan Winter League (JWL), the first long-term baseball tryout in Japan, kicked off in earnest on November 26th with an opening ceremony and opening game at Atom Home Stadium Ginowan in Ginowan City. Over the month until December 25th, 70 players were divided into 4 teams and played almost every day at 4 baseball stadiums in the prefecture. to appeal.
Representative Washizaki “Changes the baseball world in Japan”
At the opening ceremony held on the morning of November 26, Issei Washizaki, representative of the Japan League (Hikawa, Naha City), who is hosting the event, said, “This league will change the world of baseball in Japan. It will be a hot battle for months. I expect the graduates of the league to become revolutionaries in Japanese baseball.”
Rin Ohno, the general manager (GM) who played for the Yomiuri Giants and others as an ace at Okinawa Suisan High School and won second place in the summer Koshien, says, “There is a saying in scouting, ‘There is material in the shadow of the material. As the saying goes, there are players who have not seen the light of day in their baseball careers until now. Play with all your might in Okinawa, and seize your chances and dreams.” sent.
In addition, a video message from former professional baseball player Kazumi Saito, an ambassador, and Reia Nakachi of Okinawa University, who was nominated for the first draft (Chunichi Dragons) for the first time in history by a university in Okinawa Prefecture at the draft meeting this fall, to representative Washizaki. There was also a presentation of a bouquet of flowers.
“Nice ball!”
In addition to Atom Home Stadium Ginowan, JWL will use four venues: Koza Shinkin Stadium in Okinawa City, ANA BALL PARK Urasoe in Urasoe City, and Okiham Heiwanomori Stadium in Yomitan Village. Players are divided into four teams, “Strings”, “Blaze”, “Wings” and “Suns”, and each team plays 22 games in a round-robin match.
Scouts are expected to participate from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), independent leagues, amateur baseball, American major leagues, and European leagues. The match will also be streamed live on YouTube, and remote observation is possible. Supporting efficient and highly systematic scouting by quantifying player evaluations (stats, numerical data from tracking systems, video analysis).
Players with diverse backgrounds, such as amateur baseball, university, high school, etc. from all over the country participate. Players from Big Kaihatsu, Okinawa Electric Power, and Misato Technical High School also participated from within the prefecture. Foreign countries such as the United States and Uganda are also participating in the war.
After the opening ceremony, the first game was played, and shouts of “Nice ball!” Each player tried to appeal to the scouts about the strength of their confidence, and faced every pitch and pitch with a serious expression.
Upcoming game schedules can be found on the JWL website.
