Dec 29 (newsonjapan.com) - Eight Japanese players were on an MLB franchise during the 2021 season.
When it comes to the best Japanese players in MLB today, the conversation starts with Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani, who debuted in the majors four seasons ago.
Ohtani is coming off a historic AL MVP-winning season, and he’ll look to help the long-struggling baseball team return to World Series contention in 2021. The Angels enter the new year with +2800 odds to win the World Series.For Baseball fans interested in betting, Fanduel is available in Arizona and many other states such as Colorado, New Jersey, and Michigan.
Here is a look at Ohtani and the overall best active MLB players from Japan.
5. Yoshi Tsutsugo
The versatile Tsutsugo came to the majors in 2020, having signed a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Rays in the winter of 2019.
A five-time All-Star in Nippon Professional Baseball, Tsutsugo is renowned for his ability to play in both the infield and the outfield.
He struggled in his lone season with the Rays, batting .197 with an OPS of just 708. The Rays traded Tsutsugo to the Los Angeles Dodgers in May of this year, but he was released in August following a brief 12-game stint.
But Tsutsugo found his game after being picked up by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He batted .268 with eight home runs and 25 RBI in just 43 game appearances. Tsutsugo managed to draw 15 walks in his short 2021 tenure with the Pirates.
Before the lockout, the Pirates and Tsutsugo reached an agreement on a one-year deal worth $4 million.
4. Hirokazu Sawamura
Sawamura joined the Boston Red Sox on a two-year deal worth $3 million. In his first MLB season, Sawamura emerged as a key piece of Boston’s bullpen.
The 33-year-old finished with five winning decisions and just one loss. Sawamura recorded a superb 3.06 ERA in 53 innings pitched (55 game appearances), with 61 strikeouts against 32 walks. Sawamura also finished with 10 holds.
His efforts helped the Red Sox make a surprise run to the 2021 ALCS, where they ultimately fell to the Houston Astros in six games. If Sawamura can play above or near the level we saw last season, he’ll set himself up for a shiny new contract in 2022.
3. Kenta Maeda
The Minnesota Twins’ standout pitcher just finished his sixth MLB season. So far, so good.
Maeda and his Minnesota teammates greatly underperformed in 2021. He posted a career-worst 4.66 ERA, though Maeda salvaged 113 strikeouts against only 32 walks.
In the 60-game shortened 2020 season, Maeda went 6-1 and posted a career-high 2.70 ERA. That was enough to help Minnesota claim its second consecutive AL Central Division title.
Maeda was instrumental in helping the Dodgers win back-to-back NL pennants in 2017 and 2018. As a Dodger, he went 47-35 with a 3.87 ERA while racking up 641 strikeouts, serving as an excellent complement to stars Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler in the rotation.
2. Yu Darvish
Darvish has more than lived up to the sky-high expectations ever since he made the move to the Majors back in 2012. The Texas Rangers won the Darvish sweepstakes, signing him to a lucrative six-year deal worth $60 million.
Darvish has been one of the game’s most consistent and dominant pitchers throughout his MLB career. A five-time All-Star, Darvish is just a year removed from his first career All-MLB First Team selection as a member of the Chicago Cubs.
The San Diego Padres acquired Darvish from the Cubs in an offseason blockbuster trade. The 35-year-old struggled in his first year with the franchise, going 8-11 with a 4.22 — though he did hit 199 strikeouts in 166.1 innings pitched.
Darvish’ track record suggests he’ll bounce back nicely in 2022. His first two seasons with the Cubs (2018 and 2019) were largely disappointing, but he returned to a Cy Young-like form in 2020.
Darvish is 79-67 for his career with a 3.56 ERA and 1,591 strikeouts.
1. Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani was the best player in all of baseball last season.
The 27-year-old had a historic 2021 season, one so dominant that prognosticators and historians couldn’t help but compare him to the great Babe Ruth.
Ohtani led all MLB players with a 8.1 WAR, according to FanGraphs. The 2021 AL MVP batted .257 with 46 home runs, 100 RBI, 96 walks and a .965 OPS.
As a pitcher, the two-way superstar went 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 156 strikeouts against 44 walks. In his first fully healthy season, Ohtani took his game to an elite level and pieced together one of the greatest seasons the league has ever seen.
Ohtani’s teammate, Mike Trout, spent nearly a decade as the best player in all of baseball. But injuries and a decline in defense have led to Trout losing the title as the game’s top player.
Fortunately for Trout, it looks like one of his very own teammates is the one who will take over the notion as the best player in the Majors.
