Overview
The development player system was introduced to NPB in 2005. It allows teams to sign players outside the 70-man active roster limit for development in the farm system. Development players wear three-digit uniform numbers and are ineligible for first-team games. Earning active roster promotion is their primary goal, marked by receiving a two-digit number. Kodai Senga, taken by SoftBank in the fourth round of the 2010 development draft, is the most famous success story: he grew into one of NPB's premier pitchers and moved to Major League Baseball in December 2022. The development player regulations guarantee a minimum annual salary of 2.4 million yen, well below the active-roster scale, giving teams a cost-effective pipeline for future talent.