Five Japanese Baseball Stories to Watch in 2025

Happy New Year! 2024 was a great year for baseball, but now it’s time to shift focus to 2025. What are some of the top stories to follow in Japanese baseball this year? Let’s dig in.

How Will Shohei Ohtani Follow Up His 50/50 Season?

Shohei Ohtani signed a 10 year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers last offseason

The superhuman Shohei Ohtani never fails to put on a show. In 2024, he became the first player in baseball history to hit 50+ home runs and steal 50+ bases in the same season while leading the National League with a 190 OPS+, 130 RBI, and 9.2 bWAR en route to his third career MVP award (in MLB). He also won the World Series in his debut campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He did this all while nursing an elbow injury, meaning we only saw half of what the unicorn is potentially capable of. Will the former Nippon-Ham Fighters star put it all together with his elite hitting, running, and pitching for another unbelievable season — and perhaps the best year in baseball history — in 2025?

How Will Roki Sasaki and Tomoyuki Sugano Do in MLB?

Where will Roki Sasaki sign? (Photo: Chunichi Sports)

With Yomiuri Giants legend Tomoyuki Sugano joining the Baltimore Orioles and Lotte Marines phenom Roki Sasaki expected to sign in the coming weeks, the question now becomes how they will fare in their first MLB seasons. At 35 years old, Sugano is challenging the Majors at a time when many stars are finishing their careers. But the veteran right-hander is determined to prove that he’s still a premier pitcher and will have the opportunity to do so on a World Series contender in Baltimore. On the opposite end of the spectrum, 23-year-old Sasaki is heading stateside much earlier than most Japanese stars. Many fans and experts already view him as a top 20 arm talent in the world, but how will the flamethrower adjust to his first taste of MLB?

Can the DeNA BayStars Stay on Top?

The DeNA BayStars won the 2024 Japan Series

The DeNA BayStars pulled off a shocking Cinderella run in 2024 to bring Yokohama its first Japan Series title since 1998. Daisuke Miura’s squad barely snuck into the playoffs with a 71-69-3 record in the regular season but took down the defending champion Hanshin Tigers, pennant-winning Yomiuri Giants, and juggernaut SoftBank Hawks against all odds to take home the championship. For a side that was just hoping to be competitive after losing Shota Imanaga last winter, the BayStars absolutely overperformed expectations. So, can they carry the magical form they displayed in the postseason into 2025 or are they destined to be more of a middle-of-the-pack team like they were during the regular season?

Can Munetaka Murakami Go Out With a Bang?

Munetaka Murakami hit 33 home runs in 2024

Yakult Swallows corner infielder Munetaka Murakami has announced that 2025 will be his final season in Japan before testing the MLB market via the posting system. The superstar slugger set the world on fire in 2022 with a Triple Crown season, smashing 56 home runs in 141 games, the most ever for a Japanese-born player. In terms of numbers, he was on par with New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge, slashing .318/.458/.711 with 134 RBI in what was one of the greatest years in NPB history. But Murakami hasn’t quite looked like himself over the past few seasons. The 24-year-old has still been one of the best hitters in the league with an OPS north of .850 (thanks to his excellent plate discipline and raw power), but his strikeout rate has approached 30% as he struggles to find the consistency he once had. Can he put together one more amazing season and give Swallows fans a satisfying farewell tour before bringing his talents stateside?

NPB Career Milestones