Rookie battery members of the corporate baseball team Segasammy find themselves eligible for the professional draft a year early under a special waiver triggered by the team’s impending closure, Mainichi reported on October 22, 2026.
Tachibana and Kashimura face unexpected draft reality
Pitcher Kaho Kashimura and catcher Shoki Tachibana entered Segasammy with traditional timelines in mind. Both players planned to spend two years developing in the corporate leagues before pursuing professional contracts.
Those plans shifted abruptly on May 14, when Segasammy announced it would disband its baseball club at the end of the season, just before the Intercity Baseball Tournament’s Tokyo second qualifiers. Kashimura recalled struggling to process the news when it arrived, admitting he initially wondered what people were talking about.
Special rules accelerate professional eligibility
Corporate league players typically must wait until their second year after graduating from a university or their third year out of high school before becoming eligible for the draft. However, special measures are granted for athletes whose teams dissolve and cancel their player registrations, or whose clubs suspend operations. This exemption allows affected players to enter the draft pool without waiting out the standard waiting period.
Both rookies viewed the rule change as an opening. Tachibana noted that the possibility turned the sudden closure into a motivation to work hard for the opportunity. Kashimura embraced the shift as a distinct challenge.
October draft brings immediate decisions
The waiver places both first-year players directly into consideration during the October 22 draft meetings. Photographer Kaho Shimokabe documented the battery together in Hachioji on October 20 as they prepared for the event.
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