With interleague play now in the books, the 2025 Nippon Professional Baseball season has officially reached its halfway point. As we gear up for the second half, let’s take a look at how each of the six Central League teams has performed so far, in order of their current standing. Next week’s newsletter will cover the Pacific League. It’s worth noting that NPB is deep in a “dead ball era,” with offense at historic lows. The league-average OPS sits at just .633, while the average ERA is 2.80…
Midseason NPB Starting Pitcher Draft
Hanshin Tigers
The Tigers sit atop the CL standings with a 40-31-2 record, despite an underwhelming 8-10 performance in interleague play. They lead the CL with a +82 run differential. Offensively, Teruaki Sato has been the standout star, leading NPB with 20 home runs, 4.1 WAR, and a .924 OPS (194 OPS+). Backing him up are Koji Chikamoto, Shota Morishita, and Takumu Nakano, all producing OPS+ marks north of 125 with excellent defense. Those five have also combined for 41 stolen bases.
The real backbone of the team, however, is its dominant pitching. Hanshin leads NPB with an exceptional 2.02 team ERA (134 ERA+), topping the league in both starter and reliever ERA. Their rotation is a powerhouse, featuring Shoki Murakami, Hiroto Saiki, Jon Duplantier, and rookie Takato Ihara, all of whom sport sub-2.00 ERAs.
Hiroshima Carp
Despite modest expectations coming into the season, the Carp are once again holding their own behind elite pitching, defense, and the leadership of manager Takahiro Arai. Hiroki Tokoda and Masato Morishita have combined for nearly 200 innings and seven complete games, while the bullpen leads NPB with a 24.9% strikeout rate. The double-play tandem of Masaya Yano and Ryosuke Kikuchi continues to dazzle with highlight-reel defense.
On offense, new import Sandro Fabian has been a major boost, hitting .317 with a 154 OPS+ over 70 games. Kaito Kozono leads the team in on-base percentage and boasts an impressive 8.8% strikeout rate. Catcher Shogo Sakakura missed the start of the season with an injury but is back to putting up star numbers.
Yomiuri Giants
The reigning pennant winners have had their ups and downs but currently sit two games above .500. With MVP Tomoyuki Sugano off to Baltimore and ace Shosei Togo struggling through a career-worst 5.24 ERA, the rest of the rotation has been forced to pick up the slack. Iori Yamasaki leads all qualified pitchers with a 1.24 ERA, Foster Griffin has been unhittable with a 0.92 ERA over ten starts, and Yuji Akahoshi is breaking out with a 1.98 ERA. The big winter addition of Raidel Martinez has also paid off as he’s yet to allow a run and has already notched 26 saves as the new closer.
The heartbeat of the lineup, Kazuma Okamoto, remains out with an injury, but the offense has generally held up with a solid 105 OPS+ collectively. Naoki Yoshikawa, Yuta Izuguchi, Trey Cabbage, and Gakuto Wakabayashi all have an OPS+ above 125, while veteran Yoshihiro Maru has begun to heat up after missing the first two months of the season. Yomiuri remains a force to be reckoned with if they can find more consistency.
DeNA BayStars
The defending Japan Series champions are two games under .500, but there’s likely no panic yet. After all, they caught fire in the second half last season and took that momentum into October. However, their potent 2024 offense has yet to find its rhythm, recently hitting a low point with three straight shutout losses over the weekend. Dependable superstar Shugo Maki continues to carry the lineup with 13 home runs, 3.8 WAR, and an .816 OPS, good for fifth in NPB.
On the bright side, the starting rotation has become one of the most stable in the league, with Katsuki Azuma, Andre Jackson, and Anthony Kay all posting sub-2.00 ERAs. The bullpen has also settled in well, led by new closer Taisei Irie, who is dominating with a 1.16 ERA and a 26.1% strikeout rate.
Chunichi Dragons
The Dragons may have a new manager, but it’s the same old story on the field. The team remains poorly managed, and the once-formidable starting rotation is starting to fade, with reigning CL ERA king Hiroto Takahashi struggling this year. Veteran Takahiro Matsuba has been a positive surprise, posting a 1.54 ERA in 14 starts with a pitch-to-contact approach.
Yuki Okabayashi has bounced back at the plate, hitting .306 with an .830 OPS, while Seiji Uebayashi has provided a spark with nine home runs and 15 steals. The bullpen is a strength, spearheaded by Shinya Matsuyama and his NPB-best 28 saves, which keeps them competitive. They also have exciting prospects, like outfielder Kenta Bright and southpaw Yumeto Kanemaru. Still, Chunichi doesn’t seem close to ending its 12-year playoff drought.
Yakult Swallows
The Swallows are suffering through one of the worst seasons in franchise history, sitting at 20-45-3 with a brutal -106 run differential. With superstars Yasutaka Shiomi and Munetaka Murakami sidelined for the entire season so far, the team has struggled to fill the void. Their 79 OPS+ and 82 ERA+ both rank last in NPB, making wins hard to come by.
To make matters worse, their farm team is also the worst in the league, with an atrocious 18-47-1 record. A few bright spots include Souma Uchiyama (116 OPS+), Eigoro Mogi (115 OPS+), Peter Lambert (101 ERA+), and Kojiro Yoshimura (100 ERA+).
Central League Standings
Pacific League Standings
- NPB Standings
- Central League Hitting Leaders
- Central League Pitching Leaders
- Pacific League Hitting Leaders
- Pacific League Pitching Leaders
- Yakyu Cosmopolitan’s Website
