With Nippon Professional Baseball’s official award season behind us, let’s take a shot at recognizing who truly stood out at each position this past year.
My personal selections for this “All-NPB Team” follow the same principles as the All-MLB or All-NBA teams, drawing on a broad range of data, from traditional stats like home runs and strikeouts to advanced metrics such as On Base plus Slugging Plus (OPS+), Called Strike plus Whiff Rate (CSW%), and Defensive Runs Saved (DRS). Deltagraphs WAR served as a reference point for overall value, but not a strict deciding factor.
The team consists of nine position players, with all outfield spots grouped together, plus nine pitchers, including six starters and three relievers.
C: Seishiro Sakamoto (Tigers) excelled on both sides of the ball, leading all catchers in DRS while providing elite framing and maintaining a strong .357 on-base percentage.
1B: Tyler Nevin (Lions) proved to be an impactful all-around bat in his debut NPB season, finishing fourth among qualified hitters with a 142 OPS+. He smashed 21 homers in 137 games and only struck out 14% of the time.
2B: Takumu Nakano (Tigers) showcased his skills as a dynamic role player, leading NPB with 44 sacrifice bunts, adding 22 DRS and 19 steals, and posting a solid .282 average.
3B: Teruaki Sato (Tigers) claimed the CL MVP as he erupted for a career-high 40 home runs and 102 ribbies in 139 games, dominating the competition with a stellar 186 OPS+.
SS: Yuta Izuguchi (Giants) enjoyed a breakout campaign, batting .301 and surpassing the 6 WAR mark. He only struck out at an 11% clip while leading all shortstops in Ultimate Zone Rating.
OF: Tatsuru Yanagimachi (Hawks) served as a steady backbone amid key injuries to teammates, leading NPB with a .384 on-base percentage while compiling 17 DRS split between left and right field.
OF: Koji Chikamoto (Tigers) anchored the top of the lineup exceptionally with 5.8 WAR and 32 steals, all while playing standout defense in center field.
OF: Shota Morishita (Tigers) continued his ascension into stardom, posting a 153 OPS+ and 6.1 WAR, both ranking second in NPB.
DH: Franmil Reyes (Fighters) fully established himself as one of the league’s most feared sluggers, finishing top two in home runs (32), RBI (90), and ISO (.238).
SP: Livan Moinelo (Hawks) took home the PL MVP award, leading NPB with a 1.46 ERA over 167 frames and ranking second in strikeout rate at 27%.
SP: Tatsuya Imai (Lions) turned in a brilliant platform year before his MLB posting, finishing with a 1.92 ERA and an NPB-best 28% strikeout rate.
SP: Hiromi Itoh (Fighters) strengthened his reputation as NPB’s premier workhorse, leading the league in both innings (196 ⅔) and strikeouts (195) en route to the Sawamura Award.
SP: Hiroya Miyagi (Buffaloes) reaffirmed his standing as an elite ace, pacing all qualifiers in FIP- (63), K-BB% (22.0%), and CSW% (32.2%).
SP: Shoki Murakami (Tigers) consistently worked deep into games and carved up lineups, matching the league’s best WHIP at 0.89 and logging the second-most innings with 175.1.
SP: Chihiro Sumida (Lions) built on his growing consistency, lowering his ERA for the fourth straight year and finishing top five in both K-BB% and CSW%.
RP: Shinya Matsuyama (Dragons) was electric, striking out 35% of opposing hitters and converting 46 saves in his first year as closer.
RP: Raidel Martinez (Giants) remained one of the league’s most reliable stoppers, leading NPB with a 0.76 WHIP and sharing the lead in saves during his debut season in Tokyo.
RP: Kazuki Sugiyama (Hawks) thrived after taking over the ninth inning in May, dominating the late innings and finishing with 31 saves and a 32% strikeout rate.
