From Summer Heat to Draft Spotlight—Haruki Mori’s Final High School Chapter

With a blazing 153 km/h fastball hurled from a height of 190 cm, he aims for the top

Osaka Toin’s highly anticipated right-handed draft prospect, Haruki Mori, was about to begin his bullpen session at Ryuma Green Field, located midway up Mt. Ikoma. Watching from the prime spot directly behind the catcher, the air was pierced by an astonished murmur as someone announced, 150.7 km/h.

The Rapsodo pitch tracking device recorded a spin rate exceeding 2,700 RPM—a figure that only a rare few pitchers in Japan, including professionals, can achieve. It’s a level comparable to that of Kyuji Fujikawa—renowned for his fireball fastball and now the manager of the Hanshin Tigers.

“I’m a little surprised myself. Recently, my average velocity has climbed to the upper 140 km/h range. Now that the rainy season has ended and temperatures are rising, I feel like my condition is steadily improving.”

Standing 190 cm tall, Mori makes full use of his long reach in his powerful delivery. From the fall of his first year, he took on a central role as a pitcher at Osaka Toin and quickly became one of the most promising players of the current third-year generation.

Alongside his blazing fastball, Mori also commands a hard curve with sharp vertical drop and a slider, overpowering even upperclassmen hitters from powerhouse schools in Osaka and the Kinki region. In past interviews, he laid out a clear vision: “Like my senior Maeda-san (Yugo, now with SoftBank), I want to go pro as a first-round draft pick.”

However, his performances at Koshien in both the spring and summer of his second year fell short of expectations, and the team couldn’t clinch the national title. In last fall’s Kinki tournament, where a berth at Senbatsu was at stake, poor control on his part led to a crucial loss. In this spring’s Kinki Tournament against Toyo University Himeji, both team captain Daito Nakano (who started the game) and Mori were hit hard, and Osaka Toin suffered a mercy-rule defeat in an official game for the first time in 12 years. Given the high expectations since his first year, it’s no surprise that whispers of stalled development began to surround Mori.

“My condition wasn’t good, and my pitching form was out of sync—my upper and lower body were disconnected. I had no confidence. I was focused more on myself than the batters. Now, my theme is to face hitters head-on and pitch aggressively without losing the mental battle.”

As summer arrived, Mori took the mound in invitational games against Kanano Agriculture (Akita) and in regular matches against powerhouses Yokohama and Nippon Sport Science University High School, fine-tuning his form. His weight transfer has become smoother, and he’s learned to stay relaxed and channel his power into the release point, giving him noticeably better control.

In a team like Osaka Toin, which is full of early bloomers with impressive résumés in hardball from their middle school years, Mori—who played rubber ball and is more of a late bloomer—still has the potential for tremendous growth.

At the U-18 Japan national team training camp in April, Mori declared that he would submit his professional draft application. It’s rare for an Osaka Toin player—especially one as shy as Mori—to go all-in on turning pro as early as the spring of their third year. It may also have been his way of cutting off all retreat routes and fully committing to his goal.

Born on August 1, the summer boy now begins his final, heated high school summer.

“During June’s intensive training period, we practiced in heavy clothes and masks to build heat resistance, aiming to become the team most adapted to the heat. We’ve practiced to the point where rising temperatures now feel like an advantage. If I can carry this team to victory, make it to Koshien, and ultimately become No. 1 in Japan, I believe the rest—like being drafted—will follow naturally. I haven’t been able to pitch my best at Koshien yet. I want to make up for that in my final chance.”

The youthful look he had when he left Nobeoka City in Miyazaki Prefecture and came to Osaka two and a half years ago is gone. Now, with a sharper, more determined face, Mori stands as a pillar of the Osaka Toin dynasty. The team cannot afford to miss Koshien for two straight seasons, something that hasn’t happened since 2019.

“I want to have the best summer and head into the fall draft with confidence.”

If Osaka Toin captures its 10th national title, Mori will likely reclaim his title as the best of his generation and become a top pick in the draft.