The Daiei Hawks' top draft pick Hayato Terahara signed a provisional contract for 15 million yen with the Pacific League club on Friday.
Terahara, the most-sought after player in the Nov. 19 amateur draft, agreed to a first-year salary of an estimated 15 million yen,in addition to a signing bonus of 00 million yen and performance incentives of up to 50 million yen yen. "Now I really feel like I can get out there and play.
I'm glad to be getting all of this attention and I want to live up to everyone's expectations. Relying on my fastball, I want to become a winning pitcher," Terahara said. The 18-year-old met with general manager Ryuzo Setoyama and other Daiei officials in Miyazaki Prefecture to discuss his future with the club before the signing.
He will wear the No. 20 uniform. Terahara, whose fastball clocked 154 kph at the high school national championship this summer, drew bids from Daiei, the Yomiuri Giants, Yokohama BayStars and Chunichi Dragons in the first round of the draft.