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Countdown 173: Top 10 Japanese-Born Players in MLB History

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Erik Drost, Ohtani batting 2019.08.04(3), CC BY 2.0

Who are the top Japanese-born players in MLB history?  Here is our top 10 countdown:

10. Hiroki Kuroda: a workman-like starting pitcher, Kuroda pitched seven seasons in MLB starting at age 33 and won double-digit games in five straight seasons, ultimately finishing with an exactly .500 career record (79-79) and a 3.45 career ERA.

9. Daisuke Matsuzaka: known for his gyroball, Matsuzaka played eight MLB seasons in his prime (he came over at age 26 in 2007), with highlights including winning a World Series title with the Boston Red Sox in 2007 and winning 18 games in 2008.

8. Kazuhiro Sasaki: though he only pitched four seasons in MLB after joining the Seattle Mariners at age 32, Sasaki was not only AL Rookie of the Year, but also a back-to-back All-Star pitcher coming out of the bullpen.

7. Koji Uehara: best-known for winning ALCS MVP with the Red Sox during their 2013 World Series season, Uehara pitched nine MLB seasons despite not coming over from Japan until age 34; he was a rock-solid reliever who posted a career 2.66 ERA and was top-10 for Cy Young in 2013, followed by an All-Star selection in 2014.

6. Masahiro Tanaka: after coming over to MLB from Japan in 2014, Tanaka was a 2x All-Star in his seven seasons with the New York Yankees and won double-digit games in all but his final season.

5. Yu Darvish: half-Japanese and half-Iranian, Darvish arrived in the US in 2012 to much fanfare; in his decade-plus in MLB, the 5x All-Star pitcher has placed top-ten for the Cy Young 4x with four 200+ strikeout seasons and over 100 career wins.

4. Hideo Nomo: often credited with opening the door for Japanese players to come to MLB, Nomo was an All-Star and NL Rookie of the Year in 1995; moreover, he won 123 career games with nearly 2,000 strikeouts (2x league leader) and memorably threw two no-hitters.

3. Hideki Matsui: known as “Godzilla”, Matsui played a decade in MLB after coming stateside at age 29, hitting 20+ home runs 5x and driving in 100+ runs 4x as a middle-of-the-lineup slugger; moreover, the 2x All-Star was World Series MVP in 2009 as he led the Yankees to their most recent title. 

2. Shohei Ohtani: a unicorn player who excels at both hitting and pitching, Ohtani came over from Japan in 2018 and is already a 3x All-Star who has won AL Rookie of the Year, an MVP award, a Silver Slugger, hit 30+ home runs in three consecutive seasons, and finished top-five for Cy Young with a 200-strikeout season.

1. Ichiro Suzuki: after coming over from Japan to win both AL Rookie of the Year and MVP in 2001, Ichiro was a 10x All-Star and Gold Glover in his 19 MLB seasons, winning three Silver Sluggers and two batting titles while hitting .311 with 10 straight 200-hit seasons, including an MLB record 262 in 2004, and 3,089 career hits.

Agree/Disagree?  As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.

Note: All statistics as of time of publication.

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