Over the past two decades or so, we've seen many Asian players shine on the major league stage since Hideo Nomo：Daisuke Matsuzaka (Daisuke Matsuzaka) who dominates the pitcher mound）、Tanaka Masahiro and Hyun-Jin Ryu, to Hideki Matsui, Sin-so Choo, Lee Dae-ho and other strong hitters in the strike zone,Although the number of Asian players is not as large as that of Latin countries, they have always shown amazing competitiveness in MLB with their all-round skills and tenacity。

TodayThe baseball storm from Asia continues to expandIn the past few years, Shohei Ohtani has almost become the face of MLB and even baseball, and veterans like Kenta Maeda have contributed what they have learned on the court, and South Korea's strongest shortstop Ha-Seong Kim has shown the major leagues what Asian infielders are capable of with his excellent defensive ability. In 2024, we witnessed the first cry of Yamamoto Yoshinobu:The super-pitcher, who dominated Nippon professional baseball three years in a row and won three consecutive Sawamura awards, successfully translated that expectation into strength at the highest level and won one victory for Japan at the World Series.In addition, the Chicago Cubs, who went to the United States in the same batch, threw a left shot from Seungta Imanaga（Shota Imanaga）, but also broke the unfavorable voice, and successfully left claw marks on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

Tomoyuki Sugano

Although he only won the third solo MVP of his career last year, it was a surprise that Tomoyuki Kanno was only appearing on the MLB stage at this point in time。 For veteran "ashes fans", it is generally believed that he will choose to play for the Yomiuri Giants for life after his unsuccessful entry into the Yomiuri Giants in 2019; And for fans who have only entered the pit in recent years,It's puzzling why the 35-year-old, who has degraded over the past few years, did not challenge for the top of his career until the middle of his career。 But in any case, the contemporary legend who has won more than 100 games has won his ticket to the major leagues with his performance in last year's big comeback.

When it comes to Kanno's dominance of the day, he is best known for his machine-like precision on the ball.In his heyday, he was able to keep his BB/9 at around 2, and last year he kept that number down to an incredible .92. In addition, while his strikeouts aren't as sharp as he used to be, he has reached an extraordinary level of controlling the quality of his opponents' shots, as evidenced by data such as batting percentage and home run rate. thereforeIt was no surprise that he put in a flawless performance in the spring training arena (he didn't drop a point in seven innings in his first three games at the deadline).。

The "precision instrument" of the Japanese professional pitcher industry has shown another highlight in the spring training field

But no matter what he can do in the end, he deserves the applause of the fans: as mentioned earlier, Kanno's value and status in Japan can be called the level of a mythical beast, but despite this,He is still determined to challenge himself in a new environment, and this courage alone deserves everyone's attention in every competition。

Roki Sasaki

Known as the "Reiwa Monster", Langxi Sasaki has been in the spotlight since he emerged in middle school.Whether it's throwing a speedball of over 100 mph in high school or nearly making two consecutive full games in Nippon Professional Baseball, it seems to indicate that the pride of heaven is destined to belong in the major leagues。 Therefore, although he has the least accumulated stats of any player in the United States, he still attracted many teams to compete wildly, and finally succeeded in joining the most popular Dodgers.

Talent opens the way Sasaki joins Dodgers to write a new chapter

However, the average speed of his last professional season before going to the United States fell to the worst of his career, among which the speed and upward range of the straight ball have never been outstanding, and since entering the professional baseball, he has often been unstable due to minor injuries, and lacks the endorsement of the results of the full season, many fans have high doubts about whether he can survive in the more intensive American professional arena.

Fortunately, his spring training debut performance was a blockbuster:He made five strikeouts in three innings without conceding points, and although the ball was slightly unstable, the speedball was almost always around 97 mph, and the signature knuckle ball made the opponent frequently swing into the air, proving that his ball power has reached the level of a true major league. Therefore, whether it is blessings or eating melons, now that Sasaki is about to usher in his first professional season and is expected to make his debut in MLB Tokyo, please wait and see what kind of performance he will deliver!

Shinnosuke Ogasawara

Compared to Tomoyuki Kanno, who holds three MVPs and two Sawamura awards, or the talented monster junior Ronki Sasaki,Shinnosuke Ogasawara, who also challenged the United States, received a lot less attention。 Even before the announcement of his entry, many fans may have been completely unfamiliar with him, or thought that his results were not enough to challenge MLB. However, unexpectedly,The Washington Nationals finally came up with a two-year guaranteed contract in the major leagues, which really made many people fall through the glasses.

Shinnosuke Ogasawara, who is not favored, has spelled out a path to a major league

In factShinnosuke Ogasawara can be said to be the most representative left throw of the Nakkaichi Dragons in recent years, except for the Sawamura Prize's strong investment Yudai Ohno。 Although his size and speed are not outstanding, he won with his diverse ball paths and precise ball control. Therefore, in addition to his template last year, he was named after Imayong Shengtai, and some people also compared it with Taiwanese star Chen Weiyin, who is also a former Chinese and Japanese ace left thrower.The latter also went to the United States to develop when he was not favored, but he won more than ten wins three times in the first four years, playing a very competent front-end starter.

Although Chen Weiyin announced his retirement not long ago, and the two did not have a substantial intersection in their careers, Ogasawara and his predecessors coincidentally chose No. 16 as his first back number in the United States.Perhaps in the dark, this dragon's will, which belongs to Nagoya, will be passed on.

Yu Darvish

In the blink of an eye, the young and high-spirited half-blood prince is about to enter the age of no confusion, and he is no longer the Dr. K who can throw 277 strikeouts in a single season in the past.However, his suppressive power has not only not diminished from that year, but has even added to the calmness tempered by time: although last year's strikeout rate was the lowest in his career, he still has an excellent 3.31 self-performance rateIt all boils downHe transitioned into a skilled pitcher who controlled the quality of his opponent's shots, and this pitching style is also expected to have a better anti-aging curve.

Dabi Xiu has three strikeouts gradually decreasing, but the suppressive force does not fall but rises

That being said,Darby still averaged 94 mph last year, even faster than when he first arrived in the United States,In addition, the level of ball control and the attainment of more than 10 kinds of ball pathsIt is not an exaggeration to call him an artist who pitches.

For Dabysei, now in addition to continuing to pile up his career achievements,How to lead the Padres to win the first championship in team history is his number one goal, and he does have this capital to call for:Last year's biggest hurdle for the Dodgers was the veteran who conceded only three points in two starts, almost capsizing Dodgers in the divisional series。 So as long as he can consistently deliver superb pitching performances, the Padres have a chance to fight their way out of the highly competitive Nations League West and challenge for the World Series title.

Yusei Kikuchi

Recently, the topic of MLB Tokyo has been hotly discussed, and many people are reminded of the last time an overseas opening game was held in Tokyo.The series between the Mariners and the Athletics was not only the retirement of the legendary Ichiro Suzuki, but also the debut of Yushi Kikuchi, who had joined the Mariners through the entry system the previous year。 Now, six years later, Ichiro has successfully entered the Hall of Fame, and Kikuchi is ready to start his new career with the Angels.

Ichiro said goodbye to glory Kikuchi changed his clothes and set off again

As the high school principal of the genius Erdaoliu, Kikuchi became famous very early,With a speed ball of nearly 160 kilometers in one hand and a left-hand shot of a top-notch slider, even today, it is still a scarce existence。 However, his career in the U.S. has not been smooth, not only has he only won more than double figures in one season so far, but his advanced statistics have not been very promising. However, these conditions have changed qualitatively in the second half of 2024.After being traded to the Houston Astros, he shot 5-1 in 10 starts, with a 2.70 ERA and a star-level fWAR of 3.5 at the end of the season, the average speed also increased to the fastest in his career. This means that Yuxing Kikuchi, who is about to turn 34 years old, is likely to be just at the peak of his career.

After hibernation for many years, Xiongxing Kikuchi counterattacked at the age of 34 and rushed to the top?

Looking back at his early days in professional baseball, his performance was also up and down, and it was not until his seventh season that he transformed into an ace pitcher. nowKikuchi, who has also ushered in the seventh year of his career in the United States, will he be able to shoulder the responsibility of the team's trump card that has been missing for a long time after his high school junior left the team?

Kodai Senga

Chiga's journey to the U.S. is similar to that of Tomoyuki Kanno, and although the reasons are different, neither of them can travel to the U.S. through the immigration system, and they can only get their wish after exercising their overseas free agent rights. ButChiga's first season in the U.S. was a good one, with a 2.98 ERA, 12 wins, and 202 strikeouts in his first season with a tough knuckle ball known as "Ghost" and a 96 mph average, of which the fWAR value is as high as 3.4, which supported the big apple rotation that was full of wounded soldiers, which made people's expectations for his 2024 season full.

What kind of surprise will the reappearance of the ghost finger cross ball bring to the Met?

However, it was his turn to suffer from injuries last year, and after finally returning in the middle of the season, he suffered a thigh strain due to the first base fill, and the regular season was reimbursed, and even after returning to the playoffs, he failed to perform at his best and had a disappointing season.

In the 2025 season, Chiga not only has to prove that the 2023 season is not a flash in the pan, but also has to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the front part of the rotation again due to frequent injuries during the spring training of the Mets.With Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor and other fierce generals in the attacking end, if Chiga can replicate his excellent performance in the first season in the United States with "Ghost Finger Fork", it will definitely give the Big Apple Army one more ghost card to rely on on on the way to the championship Gold Cup.

Shota Imanaga

Last season,With his unique speedball and consistent performance, he delivered an excellent result of 15 wins and a 2.91 self-blame rate, and ranked fifth in the National League Yang Award voting, fully demonstrating his strength as an ace pitcher for the Chicago Cubs.

In 2025, in addition to continuing last year's high-level performance,The upcoming match against the defending champion Dodgers led by Shohei Ohtani at Tokyo Dome has undoubtedly become the focus of attention of baseball fans around the world。 This game is not only a contest between two strong teams, but also a pinnacle showdown of Japanese stars! In addition to these two men, there are five Japanese players including Seiya Suzuki, Yushin Yamamoto and Ronki Sasaki, and their performances will greatly affect the outcome of the competition.

Sebuta Imanaga leads the pinnacle showdown of Japanese stars

It is worth mentioning thatCubs head coach Craig Counsell has officially announced that Sebuta Imanaga will serve as the starting pitcher for the opening game of the Tokyo Series on March 18.As the game approaches, this is an honor and a test for the new Cubs ace pitcher who has returned home.

Shohei Ohtani

In his first season with the Dodgers, he played an epic 50-50 and even became the first designated hitter in history to win the MVP, which seems to have made many people forget how tough Shohei Ohtani on the pitcher mound is.

With a speedball that can reach a maximum of 102 mph, a scouting report rating of 80, and a knuckle ball that the media has dubbed "the devil," no one questioned Ohtani's pitching prowess before he left for the United States.In fact, since Ohtani came to the U.S., his K/9 (strikeouts per nine innings) has never fallen below 10 is a better pitcher than a regular pitcher.In addition, after successively developing the curveball, the carter ball, the stretching card, and later the main battle road sweep ball, he became a pitcher who could shoot in the major leagues.

In 2022, he threw in a career-best season with 10 wins and 10 hits for the second time in history: 15 wins, 2.23 ERA and 219 strikeouts, including a staggering 5.6 fWAR and 2.40 FIP. Although he was only fourth in the final vote for the Celerian Awards, he lost to Justin Verlander and others, but with the pomp and circumstance at the time, and after the top showdown with Mike Trout the following year, I believe everyone thought that the award would belong to him sooner or later, but everyone knows the rest of the story...

Will the first season of double knife flow Otani return to the top after surgery?

This year will be the first season in which pitcher Ohtani returns to the field after elbow surgery. In addition to sincerely hoping that he can regain the level of pitching he had before the injury, we must always remember thatThe mere fact that this modern-day beast can fight on the field with a double sword flow is already a blessing for modern fans.