Who are likely to be MLB prospect players from NPB in the near future?

Players leaving Japan professional baseball for MLB

Almost every year, there are Japanese players who leave Japan's professional baseball for the MLB.

Especially these years, many good pitchers go to MLB and also show their ability immediately after being transferred. In 2023, Koudai Senga of the New York Mets has shown great performance since his first year.

Here, we will introduce players who are rumored to join the MLB in the next few years.

*Player ages are as of 2023/11/08.

Players who have chance to be in MLB in the near future (2024, 2025)

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Pitcher (Orix Buffaloes, 25 years old)

Yamamoto has dominated Japanese professional baseball for the past three years.

He has won "the Sawamura Award", the greatest honor for Japanese pitchers, for three consecutive years, and everyone recognizes him as the current No. 1 player in Japan.

His 2023 season began with the World Baseball Classic (hereinafter referred to as WBC),

After that, he finished the regular season with the Buffaloes with an overwhelming record of 16 wins and the ERA of 1.21.

In September, he also recorded his second no-hitter against Chiba Lotte Marines.

In the postseason, he showed some unstable pitching, but in Game 6 of the Japan Series, he threw 138 pitches and made a complete game, showing his true performance in his final pitch in Japan.

He is still young at 25 years old and is expected to make a big contract in MLB.

Shota Imanaga, Pitcher (Yokohama DeNA BayStars, 30 years old)

Imanaga has been consistent as a starting pitcher since his debut in 2015.

He is a left-handed pitcher who has a beautiful four-seam, as well as a variety of breaking balls such as sliders and changeups.

He is such a pitcher representing Japan that he was appointed as the starting pitcher for the 2023 WBC finals.

The guy called a "throwing philosopher" will continues his journey in MLB.

Hiroki Matsui, Pitcher (Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, 28 years old)

Matsui was a high school baseball star who attracted attention for his astonishing record of 22 strikeouts in one game at the 2012 National High School Baseball Tournament.

He has been active since turning professional, making many saves as a closer from his second year, making a total of 236 saves at the age of 28, and has won the save title three times in 2019, 2022, and 2023.

It will be interesting to see if he can finish the games in the MLB with his sharp slider from his left arm.

Kona Takahashi, Pitcher (Saitama Seibu Lions, 26 years old)

Takahashi was also a star at Koshien (High school baseball tournament) and joined the Lions with high expectations.

From 2021 to 2023, he recorded 10 or more wins for three consecutive years, and his ERA of 2.21 in 2023 was second in the league behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

He hopes to move on to the MLB with his powerful four-seam and big slider.

As a result of negotiations with the team, his challenge seems to be from 2025 season. Let's enjoy watching him perform in Japan next year.

Naoyuki Uwasawa, Pitcher (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, 29 years old)

Uwasawa has been consistently performing well as a starting pitcher for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.

He has contributed to his team by winning around 10 games and pitching over 150 innings every year.

As a result of negotiations with the team, it appears that he will be posted with the aim of transferring in 2024, so let's see how it goes and how he performs.

Players rumored to be joining MLB in the next few years

Even among the younger players, there are many who have the potential to join the MLB in the future.

We can still watch them in Japan professional baseball.

Every year, the preseason games begins in February, and the regular season begins at the end of March.

If your travel schedule fits in with that, don't forget to consider to watch a game at the stadium!

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Roki Sasaki, Pitcher (Chiba Lotte Marines, 22 years old)

Sasaki might be the most famous player on this list.

Although he is only 22 years old, he is captivating fans with his beautiful form and amazing four-seams over 100 mph, combined with sharp splitters.

In 2022, he even achieved a perfect game at the age of 20, showing off his monster-like potential.

He is still young, and if he can continue to strengthen his physicals and perform throughout the year, he is expected to achieve great results that even surpass Yamamoto.

Hiroya Miyagi, Pitcher (Orix Buffaloes, 22 years old)

Miyagi is already playing an important role as the ace of the Orix Buffaloes along with Yamamoto.

Although he has only four-year career as a professional, he has won 34 games over the past three years, and this year he is ranked third in the league with an ERA of 2.27, making him an indispensable member of the team.

His characteristics are a combination of four-seamers over 95 mph and slow curves under 60 mph.

When 60 mph comes followed by 95 mph thrown in with good command, the batter has no chance.

We would like to see overwhelming success from next year onwards with the Buffaloes after Yamamoto departs.

Kaima Taira, Pitcher (Saitama Seibu Lions, 23 years old)

Taira gained attention as a setup man and a closer until 2022, and then became a starter from 2023.

He quickly adapted to the starter job with 11 wins and an ERA of 2.40.

He's very eager to take new technologies or ideas into his training and we look forward to seeing him evolve over the next year.

Also, he has a strong desire to go to the MLB, so it will be interesting to see what he does in the MLB in a few years.

Munetaka Murakami, 3B (Tokyo Yakult Swallows, 23 years old)

Murakami is a representative player among field players.

In 2022, he won the league's triple crown (home run king, RBI king, and leading hitter), led the team to victory, and was also named league MVP.

Although he struggled in the WBC, he played an important role in winning the championship, hitting the game-clinching double in the semifinal vs Mexico, and hitting the lead-off home run in the final vs the United States.

Perhaps due to that fatigue, his performance dropped in the 2023 regular season, but he still hit over 30 home runs, and he'll definitely come back next year.

Kazuma Okamoto, 3B/1B (Yomiuri Giants, 27 years old)

Okamoto is the mainstay of the Giants, having already hit 200 home runs as a professional.

He is one of Japan's best sluggers and has already won the home run title three times and the RBI title twice.

In the WBC, he led the Japanese national team to victory with his performances, including the game-winning home run in the finals.

The Giants are a team reluctant to send their players to the MLB, but after he becomes a free agent, there's a good chance of him going to MLB.

Shugo Maki, 2B (Yokohama DeNA BayStars, 26 years old)

The last player we would like to introduce is Maki, a popular BayStars player.

Since turning professional in 2021, he has continued to appear in most games, and has continued to show stable performance with a total batting average of .299.

In 2023, as the team's captain and mood maker, he also won the RBI title with 103 RBIs.

Although he has not yet decided to play in the MLB, it is expected that he will continue to play an active role in Japan next year and beyond.

These young players can still be seen in Japan professional baseball.

Every year, the preseason begins in February, and the regular season begins at the end of March.

It will definitely be a unique memory to see future MLB players in Japan, why don't you consider that?

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