Hayate 223, the operating company of the Nippon Professional Baseball minor league club Kufu Hayate Ventures Shizuoka, announced earlier this week that its capital and business partnership agreement, including naming rights, with Kufu Company Holdings was terminated last year following a contract dispute. 

At a press conference this week, team president Shogo Ikeda addressed members of the media and fans, and publicly commented on the team’s name change for the first time. The club competed last season as Kufu Hayate Ventures Shizuoka, but Ikeda confirmed that it will play the 2026 season under the name Hayate Ventures Shizuoka. He declined to provide further details, citing undisclosed circumstances, and said additional information would be released once appropriate. 

Hayate is one of two unaffiliated expansion teams introduced by NPB in 2024 at the farm level, the highest tier of Japan’s minor leagues. Competing in the Western League, Hayate operates independently of NPB’s 12 top-level franchises, meaning its players cannot be directly promoted to the first team level. Instead, players are eligible to be drafted onto NPB franchises, a system loosely comparable to NBA’s G League Ignite team, which existed from 2020-2024.

The Ventures were established to cultivate a local fan base in Shizuoka, widely viewed as a leading candidate for a future NPB expansion franchise, while providing the team with strong year-round competition that is harder to find in independent leagues. NPB-affiliated teams are also permitted to loan prospects to Hayate for additional playing time and development. 

Oisix Albirex Niigata, the other unaffiliated farm team, joined the Eastern League under the same framework. One of its standout performers, Taisei Chinen, was recently selected by the Yomiuri Giants as a developmental pick in the NPB Draft. 

On the field, both Hayate and Oisix have faced predictable growing pains. Hayate won just 25 games in its inaugural 2024 season and showed only modest improvement in 2025, finishing 35-86-2. Oisix has been more competitive by comparison but has still posted losing records, ending last season at 47-73-1. 

Another major change is that NPB will reorganize its farm structure beginning next season, replacing the current two-league system of the Eastern League (eight teams) and Western League (six teams) with a new geographically inclined three division group alignment. 

Under the new format, the farm teams will be divided as follows: 

East Group

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

Chiba Lotte Marines

Tokyo Yakult Swallows 

Oisix Albirex Niigata

Central Group

Yokohama DeNA BayStars

Yomiuri Giants

Saitama Seibu Lions

Chunichi Dragons

Hayate Ventures Shizuoka 

West Group

Hanshin Tigers

Orix Buffaloes

Hiroshima Toyo Carp

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

 

Despite the introduction of three divisions, the farm teams will effectively compete in a single league table. Overall standings will be determined by winning percentage across all 14 teams, rather than by group champions. League officials are also considering how to continue events such as the Fresh All-Star Game and the Farm League Championship, which have historically been contested between the Eastern and Western Leagues. The new alignments are not permanent and will be reviewed periodically, with the possibility of adjustments every few years, especially if more expansion teams are introduced. 

WBN NPB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/japan/nippon-professional-baseball/

Photo: hyateventures.jp