The New York Mets and right-handed pitcher Kodai Senga agreed on a five-year, $75 million deal that sends him from Nippon Professional Baseball to Major League Baseball.
Senga, 29, wasn’t posted by the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks and triggered an opt-out in his contract to become a free agent. He was therefore not subject to the MLB-NPB posting system.
The system has brought many Japanese talents to the major leagues, including current players Yu Darvish, Kenta Maeda, and Shohei Ohtani.
Those former NPB stars have enjoyed success in the major leagues. Let’s see how they and other pitchers have fared in their first season in the new league.
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Yu Darvish
NPB Stats: 93-38, 1.99 ERA, 1,268.1 IP, 1,250 SO, Two-time Pacific League MVP, 5-time All-Star
Rookie Year Stats: 16-9, 3.90 ERA, 191.1 IP, 221 SO, All-Star
Darvish pitched seven seasons in NPB, all for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. He made his professional debut as an 18-year-old and his MLB debut at 25. He’s the most accomplished pitcher to come from NPB being a five-time MLB All-Star and one of the best pitchers of his era.
Kenta Maeda
NPB Stats: 97-67, 2.39 ERA, 1,509.2 IP, 1,233 SO, 5-time All-Star
Rookie Year Stats: 16-11, 3.48 ERA, 175.2 IP, 179 SO, RoY-3
Maeda debuted for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp at 20 and came to MLB at 28 as a member of the Dodgers. In Japan, Maeda won the Japanese Triple Crown in 2010, won five gold gloves, and two Eiji Sawamura awards (NPB’s Cy Young). Maeda began his career in Los Angeles but currently plays for the Minnesota Twins. He was one of baseball’s best in 2020 but has followed it with an injury-marred 2021 and did not pitch in 2022 due to injury.
Shohei Ohtani
NPB Stats: 4215- 2.69 ERA, 543 IP, 624 SO, 5-time All-Star, Pacific League MVP
Rookie Year Stats: 4-2, 3.31 ERA, 51.2 IP, 63 SO, Rookie of the Year
Ohtani’s first-year pitching stats were impressive but short-lived due to injury. After undergoing Tommy John he has become the two-way star he was expected to be. Now he’s not only a top hitter in baseball but a top pitcher. In 2022 he went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA in 166.0 innings pitched, the most he’s ever had in an MLB season. Ohtani debuted young for a Japanese transfer at 23.
Yusei Kikuchi
NPB Stats: 73-46, 2.77 ERA, 1010.2 IP, 903 SO, 3-time All-Star
Rookie Year Stats: 6-11, 5.46 ERA, 161.2 IP,116 SO
Kikuchi has not had the success in America he had in Japan. He spent three seasons with the Mariners before he to Toronto. While in Seattle he struggled with an average ERA over 5 but he was named to the American League All-Star team in 2021. Kikuchi has shifted to a bullpen role in Toronto. When he was initially rumored to be posted he was scouted by the Mets and they were again interested when he eventually was.
Hideo Nomo
NPB Stats: 78-46, 3.15 ERA, 1,051.1 IP,1,204 SO, 5-time All-Star, Eiji Sawamura award
Rookie Year Stats: 13-6, 2.54 ERA, 191.1 IP, 236 SO, Rookie of the Year
Nomo’s best year as a major leaguer was his first. In 1995 he was an All-Star, rookie of the year, and the major league strikeout leader. Nomo would pitch 13 seasons in the big leagues with eight different teams, including the Mets in 1998. He finished his career with a 4.24 ERA in 323 games pitched with 318 starts.
Daisuke Matsuzaka
NPB Stats: 114-65, 3.04 ERA, 1,454.1 IP, 1,410 SO, Eiji Sawamura Award, 7-time All-Star, 7-time gold glove
Rookie Year Stats: 15-12, 4.40 ERA, 204.2 IP, 201 SO
Matsuzaka, more popularly known as Dice-K came over as a 26-year-old with the Boston Red Sox. He finished fourth in rookie of the year voting and a year later finished fourth in Cy Young voting. Matsuzaka had a career ERA in MLB of 4.45 with both the Red Sox and the Mets. He returned to Japan after the 2014 season where he’d pitch through 2021. Matsuzaka had his injury issues and went from the starting rotation to the bullpen in his final year of his career and arguably could’ve stayed in MLB longer if he wanted to take on a role there.
Hiroki Kuroda
NPB Stats: 124-105, 3.55 ERA, 2,021.2 IP, 1,461 SO, 5-Time All-Star
Rookie Year Stats: 9-10, 3.73 ERA, 193.1 IP, 116 SO
Kuroda debuted as a 33-year-old rookie in 2008. He never recorded an ERA over 3.76 and was a solid innings eater for seven years with the Dodgers and Yankees. His late debut shortened his MLB career but as a control-first pitcher, there’s no reason why he wouldn’t have had success had he come over sooner.
Koji Uehara
NPB Stats: 112-67, 3.02 ERA, 1,583.2 IP, 1,400 SO, nine-time All-Star, two-time Eiji Sawamura Award
Rookie Year Stats: 2-4, 4.05 ERA, 66.2 IP, 48 SO
Uehara debuted late like Kuroda at 34 years old. With the Orioles in 2009 he began his career as a starter but moved to the bullpen for the next eight seasons. As a reliever, Uehara never had a ERA over 4.00 and finished with one under 3.00 six times. He was a 2014 All-Star and had 95 career saves. Uehara pitched in MLB through age 42.
Masahiro Tanaka
NPB Stats: 112-56, 2.46 ERA, 1,537.2 IP, 1,496 SO, MVP, 7-time All-Star, 2-time Eiji Sawamura Award
Rookie Year Stats: 13-5, 2.77 ERA, 136.1 IP, 141 SO, All-Star
Tanaka was a two-time MLB All-Star with one appearance during his rookie season. Tanaka played seven years with the Yankees until he went back to Japan. With the Yankees, he had a career 3.74 ERA.
Kodai Senga
NPB Stats: 87-22, 2.59 ERA, 1,089.0 IP, 1,252 SO, 3-time All-Star
Senga has played 11 seasons in NPB. In his career, he’s struck out 28.2% of batters and walked 9.3%. Senga’s repertoire featured four pitches, headlined by a fastball that sits near 95 and tops at 100, along with a splitter known in Japan as a “ghost fork(ball).” Those pitches combined with solid control projects him as a starter in the majors.
Some of Senga’s career highlights include being an All-Star three times, a five-time Japan Series champion, a two-time Pacific League strikeout leader, and a two-time gold glove award winner. He won the Japanese Triple Crown in 2020.
