2023 saw a lot of attention for Japanese baseball. It started with Samurai Japan winning the World Baseball Classic in dramatic fashion. And ended with the Hanshin Tigers breaking their Championship curse, another MVP season for Shohei Ohtani, and record breaking contracts for both Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
For the Pacific League specifically, it was dominated again by the Orix Buffaloes and Yamamoto. He took home his 3rd straight MVP, Sawamura award, and Triple Crown. But I think we've all heard plenty about him this offseason, so I don't need to go into further depth. The Buffaloes made it to the Japan Series where they fell to the Tigers in 7 games.
Before I discuss players/cards. Any WAR or defensive stats mentioned or defensive stats used to created cards were taken from this site: https://1point02.jp/op/index.aspx
Also check out Yakyu Cosmopolitan and Gaijin Baseball on Twitter and YouTube. Both are invaluable resources for learning about the NPB, both past and present.
1st place - Orix Buffaloes (86-53-4) Lost in Japan Series to Hanshin Tigers
Yamamoto obviously gets the lion's share of attention (and well deserved), but Orix is a deep team that seems particularly adept at scouting and developing pitching. Hiroya Miyagi continues to emerge as a star. And Shunpeita Yamashita is already poised to step into Yamamoto's shoes. His pure stuff is elite and took a huge step as a 21 year old in 2023 and won Rookie of the Year in the PL.
While the pitching is elite, the offense holds its own, as well. One of two big free agent signings last offseason was Tomoya Mori leaving the Lions for the Buffaloes (The other being Kenuske Kondoh to the Hawks). Orix needed another bat to help replace the immense loss of Masataka Yoshida to the MLB. And Mori provided exactly that. Played some elite defense while putting up great offensive numbers. He was worth 5.0 WAR (tied for 6th overall for position players). He'll be an early pick in our Showdown league. Yuma Tongu had a big breakout season and won Best 9 for it.
Foils: Tomoya Mori, Yuma Tongu, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Hiroya Miyagi, Shunpeita Yamashita, Yuki Udagawa
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2nd place - Chiba Lotte Marines (70-68-5) Lost to Buffaloes in final round of Climax Series 1-4
Obviously, the shining star of this team is Roki Sasaki. He put up incredible numbers again, but only in 91 innings of work, so this team has more than just Sasaki.
Gregory Polanco was probably their most consistent impact bat, and earned Best 9 for his efforts. Koshiro Wada only had 113 PAs, but was 20/21 on stolen base attempts, but played quite a bit in the field too and was worth 2.2 WAR which is impressive given his at bats. Both Hiromi Oka (3.3 WAR) and Yudai Fujioka (3.1 WAR) were big contributors, and their cards reflect that.
In a crazy season deciding Game 3. Fujioka managed to hit only his second homer of the year (come on, look at that card), a 3-run game tying homer in the 10th inning, before the Marines ended up eventually winning and advancing later that inning. The cutout for his card was taken from that moment. Video here: https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/1795msb/on_the_brink_of_npb_playoffs_elimination_fujioka/
And video of Yasuda's walk off double to win it: https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/1795wd2/game_winner_series_winner_yasuda_with_the_walk/
Foils: Koshiro Wada, Hiromi Oka, Katsuya Kakunaka, Yudai Fujioka, Gregory Polanco, Roki Sasaki
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3rd place - Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (71-69-3) Lost to the Marines in the previously mentioned dramatic fashion
A really disappointing season for the Hawks, as they were poised to be a front runner going into the season. The aforementioned signing of Kensuke Kondoh was as good as advertised, and he had an incredible 8.3 WAR season to lead all position players. He led NPB in OBP with a .431 mark, which was 28 points higher than anyone else. He helped the Hawks lead the PL in runs scored. He will be an easy choice for #1 pick in the Showdown draft.
Yuki Yanagita was showing signs of slowing down last season, but had a nice bounce back year in 2023. As he ages, he's no longer the 5 tool menace he used to be, but he slashed .299/.378/.484 (.861 OPS and 4.2 WAR) with 22 bombs, so he's still getting it done.
I'm not sure what happened to Kenta Imamiya, but after having really strong defensive numbers last season, he was by far the worst ranked shortstop this year, and his offense wasn't as strong as last season either.
Ukyo Shuto has a really fun card. A defensive and speed specialist. He only had 268 PAs, but was tied for the league lead in steals with 36 (on 43 attempts). He had a classic moment in the WBC as well, scoring from first on Murakami's walk off double against Mexico: https://twitter.com/SlangsOnSports/status/1638010880104226819?lang=en
Kohei Arihara returned to Japan after a failed MLB attempt and looks to have mostly picked up where he left off. This team has the talent and depth (and money) to turn it around quickly. And they were aggressive in the offseason retaining and signing some controversial players (Roberto Osuna and Hotaka Yamakawa), we'll see if that aggressiveness pays off in 2024.
Foils: Kensuke Kondoh, Yuki Yanagita, Kohei Arihara, Livan Moinelo, Roberto Osuna
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4th place - Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (70-71-2) Missed playoffs
The Eagles scored the second most runs in the PL, but also allowed the most. Stalwart Hideto Asamura continues to be as consistent as it comes, and he puts up another very solid offensive card. Hiroto Kobukata is a really fun multi-positional option, he led NPB in stolen bases (along with Shuto) with 36 steals (on 42 attempts).
Yuki Matsui will be a big loss for them. As previously mentioned, they need all the pitching they can get, and Matsui has been incredible and very consistent for them in his NPB career. I'm looking forward to see how his stuff translates to the MLB. They announced they are moving long-time starter, Takahiro Normimoto, to the closer role to fill Matsui's shoes. He's had great strike out numbers his whole career, but sort of an odd choice still.
It seems like it might be the end of the road for the legendary Masahiro Tanaka. A truly storied career, but he struggled mightily in 2023. His ERA was 4.91, which is especially high considering the ERA for the PL overall was 3.15.
Foils: Hideto Asamura, Hiroto Kobukata, Shota Watanabe, Yuki Matsui
The Eagles scored the second most runs in the PL, but also allowed the most. Stalwart Hideto Asamura continues to be as consistent as it comes, and he puts up another very solid offensive card. Hiroto Kobukata is a really fun multi-positional option, he led NPB in stolen bases (along with Shuto) with 36 steals (on 42 attempts).
Yuki Matsui will be a big loss for them. As previously mentioned, they need all the pitching they can get, and Matsui has been incredible and very consistent for them in his NPB career. I'm looking forward to see how his stuff translates to the MLB. They announced they are moving long-time starter, Takahiro Normimoto, to the closer role to fill Matsui's shoes. He's had great strike out numbers his whole career, but sort of an odd choice still.
It seems like it might be the end of the road for the legendary Masahiro Tanaka. A truly storied career, but he struggled mightily in 2023. His ERA was 4.91, which is especially high considering the ERA for the PL overall was 3.15.
Foils: Hideto Asamura, Hiroto Kobukata, Shota Watanabe, Yuki Matsui
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5th place - Saitama Seibu Lions (65-77-1) Missed playoffs
The Lions had a rough season, that started with injuries to Sosuke Genda (which he played through at the WBC), and their big slugger, Hotaka Yamakawa, suspended by the team as his legal troubles were going on (I won't discuss that here, but you can Google it). Unsurprisingly, with those two missing a lot of time, they scored the least amount of runs in the PL by a fairly large margin. They did, however, boast the 2nd best ERA in the PL, led mostly by their 3 headed monster at the front of the rotation.
If you follow these sets closely, you'll know Kaima Taira as an elite reliever, but he skipped the WBC to work to become a starter, and it paid off. He was very good in his first year as a starter, with a 2.40 ERA in 150 IP at just 23 years old in 2023. Kona Takahashi announced that he has MLB intentions, and while he's bee consistently solid, he took a big leap in 2023, and it seems like the MLB may be possible in the near future. He started in the NPB at age 18, so while he has tons of experience, he's still only 27 years old. Here's a nice video on Taira on Takahashi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RILOPAYwho
Tatsuya Imai his the 3rd ace on the team, and is also on the younger side being just 25 years old. He walked too many, 4.1/9innings, but also only gave up 5.9 hits/9. The makings of a great Showdown card.
While Genda missed the first couple months of the year, he did end up having his usual 7 OB, +5 or better SS card. His double play partner, Shuta Tonosaki, is usually very solid, and had a very nice 2023 campaign and put up 4.3 WAR best on the team for position players. His card does a bit of everything.
Going to the corner infield spots, they actually have a couple solid options. Ryusei Satoh had a stellar 2023 season and ended up with a wonderful card. David MacKinnon really embraced the NPB as a foreign player, and had a really nice debut season. Bit of an odd decision by the team to not bring him back in 2024.
Takeya Nakamura had an Albert Pujols-esque resurgence as a 39 year old. His career looked to be on life support after a terrible 2022 season, but he came out and mashed in 2023, and as he stands now he's only 17 home runs away from 500 for his career.
Foils: Ryusei Satoh, Shuta Tonosaki, Takeya Nakamura, Sosuke Genda, Tatsuya Imai, Kona Takahashi, Kaima Taira
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Last place - Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (60-82-1) Missed playoffs
Seemed like they might be on the brink of breaking out after showing signs in 2022, but they still ended up in the basement. Losing a player as good as Kondoh to free agency certainly hurts. However, the player that did break out in a big way was Chusei Mannami. Elite defense, arm strength, (look at this throw! https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/15tla8d/chusei_mannami_channels_ichiro_and_guns_down_the/)
and a nice power bat led to him putting the 5th most WAR in the NPB for a position player with 5.2. If he ever develops a bit more in the on base department his card could get scary; he'll be just 24 next season, so plenty of time. The future is bright for Mannami.
The player the Fighters are still waiting for a big leap from is Kotaro Kiyomiya. He's no slouch (.705 career OPS), but having set the home run record (since broken) back in high school, he was considered by some to be on Ohtani's level for prospect status. He'll only be 25 next season, so there's certainly still the chance to break out in 2024.
Pairing in the outfield with Mannami was Go Matsumoto. He won the batting title in 2022, but I think how he hit in 2023 is probably more representative of his future output. But elite defense and speed absolutely makes him valuable regardless. Ryota Isobata got the most innings in CF, and he is a solid speed/defense option.
Naoyuki Uwasawa signed a minor league deal with the Rays this offseason. He doesn't have elite stuff, but is consistent and can eat innings. He feels like a pitcher that belongs in the 80s/90s, but the Rays are much smarter than me and I'll be curious if they unlock another level from him.
Foils: Chusei Mannami, Ariel Martinez, Takayuki Katoh
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