JapanBall

10/22/2026

Happy 53rd birthday to the one and only, Ichiro! It’s also his second birthday since being inducted to both the Japanese and National Baseball Hall of Fames last year 🎊

Ichiro was the first Japanese position player to be signed by a MLB team and went on to become the world leader in hits with 4,367.

We’ve visited his family home and museum in Aichi on our tours many times — obviously, his trophy cabinet is ridiculously big!

10/22/2026

The 2026 NPB Draft is in the books! ⚾🇯🇵

The biggest surprise came when the Yomiuri Giants selected Shoki Oda despite his plans to begin his professional career in the United States.

Oda remains set on attending an NCAA school or signing directly with an MLB organization, but Yomiuri will try to convince him to start his career in NPB, just as Nipponham famously did with Shohei Ohtani in 2012.

Meanwhile, Nipponham landed two-way phenom Haruki Komoda without having to enter a lottery. It's a very fitting destination given the team's experience developing two-way players like Kota Yazawa and Reo Shibata in recent years.

The SoftBank Hawks won the lottery for star pitcher Taisei Suzuki, while the Rakuten Eagles won the lottery for his college batterymate, Kai Watabe.

Here's where all 12 teams went in the first round:

Pacific League
- Rakuten: C Kai Watabe (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.)
- Lotte: LHP Yuto Yonezawa (Kansai Univ.)
- Orix: RHP Futo Kakuta (Fuji Univ.)
- Nipponham: TWP Haruki Komoda (Yamanashi Gakuin HS)
- Seibu: RHP Keito Kawajiri (Asia Univ.)
- SoftBank: RHP Taisei Suzuki (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.)

Central League
- Chunichi: RHP Ren Miyahara (Kindai Univ.)
- Yakult: OF Ryosuke Fujisawa (Tokyo Gas)
- Hiroshima: IF Takara Yamasato (Asia Univ.)
- DeNA: LHP Sena Hoshino (Osaka University of Commerce)
- Yomiuri: RHP Shoki Oda (Yokohama HS)
- Hanshin: OF Nanato Sakakibara (Meiji Univ.)

Beyond the first round, the NPB-best Hawks made a staggering 24 selections, twice as many as any other team. Among them was Penn State right-hander Genei Sato, another highly touted prospect pursuing an MLB career after transferring out of Sendai University last year. SoftBank used a ninth round pick to take a flyer on the flamethrower.

Some teams also tapped into unconventional talent pools, selecting Japanese nationals playing in Taiwan, Korea, Canada, and even an American JUCO.

In yet another unexpected move, Yomiuri selected 14-year-old middle school catcher Rentaro Seki as a developmental player, one of the most unusual picks of the night. He represented Samurai Japan at the U-15 level and has reportedly turned down offers from high schools.

10/22/2026

Congratulations to Gaku Arima on being selected in the 2nd round by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in the 2026 NPB Draft! 👏

JapanBall interviewed the Ritsumeikan University left-hander over the summer and he even put on an extrainningstravel cap.

Best of luck in your next chapter! おめでとうございます！

10/22/2026

We’ve updated our article — What is NPB? An Overview of Japan’s Big Leagues

The trophy awarded to the winner of the Japan Series, see at the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (photo: Brad Smith) Since 1950, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) has been the highest level of baseball in Japan. The league comprises 12 teams divided into two circuits - the Pacific League and Central...

10/21/2026

Playoff Action Completed for the Japanese Import Players in Major League Baseball.

Recapping the final month of performances!

Shohei Ohtani reacts during an at-bat against Milwaukee in the 2026 National League Championship Series. Photo: Gregory Bull/AP The Major League Baseball playoffs are still underway, but they’re over for all nine Japanese imports whose teams reached the postseason. With the Los Angeles Dodgers eli...

10/19/2026

NPB Newsletter: Hawks, BayStars Clash in 2026 Japan Series Following Dominant Showings in Climax Series

The 2026 Japan Series will pit the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, who finished an NPB-best 91-49-3, against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, who placed third in the Central League at 71-69-3 before upsetting the Hanshin Tigers in the playoffs. SoftBank had by far the best offense in Japan this year with a .754....

10/18/2026

🇯🇵 The 2026 NPB Draft is coming up on October 22! How exactly does the process work? 🤔

👉 New episode of the Talking Yakyu podcast previewing the draft and Japan Series are out now on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!

10/18/2026

Celebrations commence at the Yokohama Stadium watch party after the Yokohama DeNA BayStars clinched another Japan Series berth with a series win over the Hanshin Tigers 🔥

Thanks to friend of JapanBall Patrick for sending in the video! 💫

10/08/2026

🚨 New episode of the Talking Yakyu Podcast previewing the Nippon Professional Baseball Postseason is out now!

🇯🇵 Breaking down the first round matchups of the Fighters vs. Lions and BayStars vs. Giants and predicting whether the Hawks or Tigers will win the 2026 Japan Series.

🎙️ Check it out on any platform!

YouTube: https://youtu.be/tZjwMTIls-M

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4YxVQnxT0qqPlbtvTDUP0x?si=AO9OCubKQ3uayUh9G1Zg4w

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-yakyu/id1869829809

Baseball Podcast · Talking Yakyu is a podcast for all things Japanese baseball in English. From the latest developments in Nippon Professional Baseball to Samurai Japan at the World Baseball Classic to the newest stars …