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george castillo
multiple authors
Three years ago, Japan defeated the United States and won World Baseball Classic thanks for doing shohei ohtaniTwo-way feat, punctuated by his strikeouts mike trout To seal the victory. Ohtani was the star of the show, but he wasn’t the only star. Household names in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan, many of his teammates used the platform to introduce themselves to American baseball fans while making major contributions to that championship run. And most of them have since made the jump to Major League Baseball.
Outfielder and designated hitter masataka yoshida He went 9 for 22 with two home runs and 13 RBIs a few weeks before starting his first season with the boston red sox. third baseman munetaka murakamiwho signed with chicago white sox In December, delivered a walk-off double in the semi-final against Mexico.
on the mound, yoshinobu yamamoto Took 2⅔ scoreless innings in his one inning less than a year before signing with los angeles dodgers and receiving the largest free agent contract ever given to a pitcher. He pitched a very tough postseason appearance in L.A.’s second consecutive World Series in October.
roki sasakiThe 2023 WBC team also has a wonderful creature, a dodger. shota imanagaWho appeared in three games and started one, was included in the National League All-Star team as a 30-year-old rookie chicago cubs In 2024. also a left handed reliever yuki matsuiWho played just one innings in the 2023 WBC, signed a five-year contract with San Diego Padres Before the 2024 season.
Although Japan’s NPB talent in this WBC won’t match the level of the 2023 team, several NPB stars could emerge in the knockout stage – and eventually head to MLB.
Here’s a look at those players and how they compare to current big league players, starting with those who are expected to become MLB free agents the earliest.
next offseason
RHP Hiromi Itoh
age: 28
NPB Team: Nippon Ham Fighters
MLB Comp: sonny gray
Itoh is expected to become the next Japanese star pitcher to make the jump to the majors, and clubs are preparing for him to join the free agent mix next offseason. Last season, the 5-foot-9 right-hander won the Sawamura Award — Japan’s equivalent of the Cy Young Award — by going 14-8 with a 2.52 ERA and leading the league with 195 strikeouts and 196⅔ innings.
He throws seven pitches, but relies mostly on a plus fastball that touches 96 mph, a sweeper, and a splitter. piggy bank with itoh Los Angeles Angels left hand Yusei Kikuchi Japan’s 8–6 win over Korea in pool play, allowing two runs (one home run) on one hit, six strikeouts and no walks in three innings.
An American League talent evaluator said he expected Itoh to be a “high-end” free agent with a lot of suitors.
“Short but proven track record of sustainability,” the talent evaluator said. “He should continue to strike out MLB hitters while allowing very few walks.”
3B/OFF Teruaki Sato
age: 27
NPB Team: Hanshin Tigers
MLB Comp: Ryan O’Hearn
Similar to Itoh, MLB teams are preparing for Sato to leave for MLB next offseason, and he should generate a lot of interest. Sato, who clubbed the home run off blake snell In an exhibition game against the Dodgers last year, 2025 was the best hitter in an extremely pitcher-friendly NPB. He belted 40 homers – eight more than runner-up and former big leaguer Franmil Reyes and 17 more than the third-highest total. He posted a .924 OPS – 63 points more than Reyes’ second-place output.
A National League scout said, “He has a lot of power and has slowly improved over the last few years.” “Sato has often talked about coming. He’s interesting.”
Sato started just one game in pool play in Tokyo – Japan’s 9–0 win over Czechia – in right field. He entered the other three games as a pinch hitter and also played third base. He is 2-for-6 with two doubles, a walk and an RBI.
future years
LHP Hiroya Miyagi
age: 24
NPB Team: oryx buffalo
MLB Comp: framber valdez
Miyagi is just 5-7 years old, but he has become a dominant pitcher in NPB who has proven capable of handling larger workloads. The left-hander posted a 2.39 ERA in 150⅓ innings last season. He has logged at least 141⅔ innings with a 2.48 career ERA in each of the last five seasons. Miyagi has a low 90s fastball and doesn’t miss many bats, instead relying on his command and pitch mix to limit damage.
“He’s a small guy but really competes,” the scout said. “He pitches like he’s 6-3.”
RHP Hiroto Takahashi
age: 23
NPB Team: Chunichi Dragons
MLB Comp: mitch keller
Although Itoh won the Sawamura Award last season, Takahashi may be the best NPB pitcher who has not yet joined MLB. Bigger than Itoh and Miyagi but still listed at only 6-0, the right-hander’s fastball sits in the mid-90s, but it is straight and doesn’t produce much swing. However, his splitter and cutter miss bats at a typical rate for NPB.
Takahashi dominated the overwhelmed Czechia lineup to close out pool play, allowing two hits with five strikeouts in 4⅔ innings. If Japan gets this far then it is eligible to reach the semi-finals again.
“Takahashi has the biggest ceiling, but we’re all waiting for him to make his next big jump,” the scout said.
LHP Chihiro Sumida
age: 26
NPB Team: cebu lions
MLB Comp: danny coulombe
Another left-hander under 6 feet tall — he’s listed at 5-9 — Sumida recorded a 2.65 ERA in 159⅔ innings last season. He came out of the bullpen against Australia and was effective, giving up one unearned run with seven strikeouts and zero walks in three innings.
RHP Atsuki Taneichi
age: 27
NPB Team: Chiba Lotte Marine
MLB Comp: Christian Xavier
A starter for the Marines with a 2.64 ERA in 24 starts last season, Taneichi has been used as a reliever in the WBC. The 6-foot right-hander recorded two scoreless innings with five strikeouts and no walks in pool play.
can live in japan
OF Shota Morishita
age: 25
NPB Team: Hanshin Tigers
MLB Comp: matt virling
2b shugo maki
age: 28
NPB Team: Yokohama DNA Baystars
MLB Comp: jack gelof
We’ll group Morishita and Maki because they are players with unclear motivations for making the jump to MLB.
Morshita established himself as one of the elite hitters in the power-starved NPB last season. His 23 home runs ranked third while he was one of five players with an OPS of at least .800. He made his only WBC start in left field against Czechia and is 1-for-6 with a walk in the tournament.
Maki, Japan’s starting second baseman, was one of five NPB hitters with at least an .800 OPS last season (he finished at .800). Despite being limited to 93 games following thumb surgery in August, he hit 16 home runs.
“They can both hit and have some pop,” the scout said. “That said, they’re probably more bench guys. Not a lot of defensive value.”
possibility of living in japan
kensuke kondoh
age: 32
NPB Team: softbank hawks
MLB Comp: masataka yoshida
Kondoh, one of the most skilled hitters in NPB, could have made the jump to MLB years ago but stayed in Japan. And he will likely end his career at NPB when he enters his age-32 season after signing a seven-year contract with SoftBank in December 2022. Kondoh had surgery last April and was later limited to 77 games in 2025. When he was on the field, he batted .301 with a .903 OPS and 10 home runs.
Kondoh has batted second or third in his three WBC starts, all in right field, and is 2-for-12 in the tournament after hitting .346 with a 1.115 OPS in Japan’s 2023 WBC Championship run.
The scout said, “He’s similar to Yoshida.” “I really feel like when he saw Yoshida struggle to get different looks, it gave him pause. There’s not much defense there, and not much power. He can really hit, but he took the NPB payday, and made the move to the best franchise instead.”
