50 Rookies Join CPBL, CTBC Brothers Select Wang Yu-fei as 11th Pick

TAICHUNG, Jun. 29 (CNA) -- The 2026 Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) rookie draft was held today at Top Dragon Restaurant in Taichung, with 50 players selected by the teams. CTBC Brothers selected the most players with 11, and their final pick was Wang Yu-fei, who previously survived the Puyuma train derailment.

This year's draft saw a record 200 participants. Fubon Guardians, holding the first overall pick, selected 9 players. Following them were Wei Chuan Dragons with 9, TSG Hawks with 6, Uni-President 7-ELE Lions with 7, CTBC Brothers with 11, and Rakuten Monkeys with 8.

CPBL Commissioner Tsai Chi-chang stated in his pre-draft speech that he welcomed the new players to the league and emphasized that there is no NT$6 million signing bonus cap in the CPBL. "As long as they have the talent and perform well, all 6 teams are willing to offer higher signing bonuses to secure the players they want."

A notable aspect of this draft was TSG Hawks selecting Ryutaro Nagata, the namesake of the "Nagata Clause," in the second round. Additionally, Rakuten Monkeys selected Japanese-Taiwanese mixed-race catcher Yuto Shirai in the seventh round, and CTBC Brothers selected Koji Otaki in the tenth round. All three Japanese players were considered domestic players for the draft due to the "Nagata Clause."

The "Nagata Clause" stipulates that foreign students who have studied in Taiwan for a cumulative total of 3 years in junior or senior high school, or 4 consecutive years in university, or have resided in Taiwan for 5 years, and have played for an amateur baseball team in Taiwan for 3 years, are eligible to participate in the draft and be considered domestic players. (Edited by Lee Heng-shan) 1150629

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