The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters won the rights to negotiate a contract with highly touted Waseda University right-hander Yuki Saito after four clubs named him in the first round of bids in the Japanese baseball draft on Thursday.
Fighters president Junichi Fujii drew the lucky ticket for Saito from the lottery box of four teams, which also included the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, the Chiba Lotte Marines and the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks.
"I am very nervous and excited," said Fighters manager Masataka Nashida about choosing Saito, who led Waseda Jitsugyo to its first national high school baseball championship title in 2006.