First-round draft pick Hayato Terahara has failed to make the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks' opening-day roster but will join top-team workouts in the upcoming regular season, manager Sadaharu Oh said Monday.
"Terahara won't be named to the 28-man roster. But he will be allowed to stay near the pitching coach of the top team because the coach wants to keep an eye on him. He'll learn a lot from watching the games of the top league," Oh said.
Terahara will be registered with Daiei's farm team in the Western League, one of Japanese baseball's two minor leagues, after giving up four runs in four spring outings.
"I just have to do my best. I'll work hard and hope to get used to the atmosphere of the top-team games as soon as possible," Terahara said.
The 18-year-old right-hander, whose fastball clocked 154 kph at last summer's national high school championships, drew interest from the Los Angeles Dodgers and some other major league clubs but he opted to play in Japan.