Japanese players have been coming to Major League Baseball since the 1960s, but 2024 will be the first season wherein multiple players from Japan headline the free agency.
Currently, there are eight active Japanese players on an MLB roster.
Pitcher Masanori Murakami was the first to enter the MLB via the San Francisco Giants. He was the lone representative of his country in America's top baseball league for 30 years.
Things have changed; the new generation of Japanese players are now dominating the league and contract talks. Two of them signed record-breaking contracts in December last year.
The game is going international, with players from outside America making it more exciting.
Here are the Top 3 Japanese players to watch out for next season:
1. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
Individually, he dominated as part of the Los Angeles Angels. He won two AL MVP awards with the club, broke records, and made three All-Star Games and four All-MLB First Team citations.
These accolades allowed the two-way player to sign the largest contract ever in sports history, a 10-year, $700 million.
He moved to the Halos' state rivals to win titles. He is to watch out for because the game will be different for him. Better teammates now surround him.
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Ohtani will not pitch in the meantime, but he has teammates who can do that at a high level. This means he will be more focused as a designated hitter. Balls will fly when he gets to hold the bat.
Last season, he posted .304/.412/.654 with 44 home runs, 95 RBI, and 20 stolen bases in 135 games as a hitter. For that, he became the first Japanese-born player to lead a U.S. major league in home runs.
2. Shota Imanaga, Cubs
Unlike Ohtani, Imanaga is just starting to establish his legacy in the MLB. The 30-year-old signed a four-year, $53 million contract with the Chicago Cubs last December after a seven-year stint with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
He is the Central League strikeout champion of 2023 and a two-time All-Star at the Nippon Professional Baseball.
He is called "The Throwing Philosopher" by pundits for his systematic approach to pitching. He showed this part of his game when he helped Japan win the World Baseball Classic.
Imanaga moved to the MLB for a new challenge and remains ready to improve.
"The WBC helped me think there's more to baseball, more I can improve on and experience," Imanaga said through a translator.
"Facing the hitters - there are players of unimaginable talent over here - gave me confidence and made me want to apply myself and face the challenge over here."
"It's a novel experience for me, so I want to keep an open mind and seek advice from a lot of people ... figure out what works for me, give everything a try, and see as we go."
3. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers
This guy is one of the reasons why Ohtani will have a feast on the bat. He can't pitch for now, but he got Yamamoto to do that for the Dodgers.
Yamamoto signed a 12-year, $325 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers and is a four-time strikeout champion in NPB through the Orix Buffaloes.
From 2001 to 2003, he bagged the Japanese Triple Crown, Pacific League MVP, Eiji Sawamura Award, and the Best Nine Award.
He dominated Japanese professional baseball, and he will bring that to America. These are exciting times for the Dodgers but scary times for opposing teams.
Other players to watch out for
Kodai Senga signed a five-year $75 million contract with the New York Mets. Although he did not achieve team success, he was still impressive individually.
Yu Darvish is also set to return for the San Diego Padres after missing the second half of the 2023 season due to a bone spur. He signed a six-year, $108 million contract extension in February last year.
Related article: Who Is Rōki Sasaki? Will He Be the Next Big Thing From Japan Like Shohei Ohtani?
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