Determining the Reiwa Era’s Top Home Run Artist!

Reiwa Era’s No. 1 Home Run Artist

When the powerful swing sends the ball soaring into the stands, the stadium momentarily falls silent, only for the silence to be shattered by a deafening cheer. The battery drops their shoulders in despair, while the batter leisurely circles the diamond.

While intense pitching duels are captivating, the essence of professional baseball is undoubtedly the home run. Since the first home run hit by Fujiwara Isamu of the Osaka Tigers in 1936, around 110,000 home runs have lit up the skies of Japanese professional baseball.

Legends like Sadaharu Oh, Katsuya Nomura, Koichi Tabuchi, and Hiromitsu Ochiai made beautiful arcs during the Showa era, and in the Heisei era, Hidetaka Matsui, a.k.a. “Godzilla,” hit multiple home runs that struck billboards across the Pacific. Each era has its legendary sluggers.

So, who is the batter hitting the most beautiful home runs in the current era of Japanese baseball, where pitching has taken precedence over hitting? This time, FRIDAY interviewed active players, former players, and those with managerial experience to decide the No. 1 “Home Run Artist” of the Reiwa era.

Leading the charge is Toshihiro Imae, who served as the manager of Rakuten this season.

“The home runs by Nakamasa Mannami (24) of Nippon Ham are incredible. His 192 cm, 99 kg physique generates low trajectory home runs that go straight into the stands. While his batting can be inconsistent at times, when he’s on, his hitting distance is among the best in the league. If he focuses on hitting for power, he could produce even more home runs, but he’s also capable of making compact swings depending on the situation. He has the potential to develop even further.”

Mannami’s batting, which awakened with the appointment of Tsuyoshi Shinjo as manager in the 2021 off-season, is turning heads even among rival teams.

“I’ll never forget the home run he hit against SoftBank on August 12, 2023. The opposing pitcher was Takahashi Rei (29), who moved to the Giants. His underhand delivery is difficult to hit due to its speed, but Mannami powered through. I heard later that the ball’s speed was close to 180 km/h, and it flew 135 meters. And it was a low trajectory… Mannami is something else (laughs). There are players like Nakamura (Takeya) from Seibu, who hit home runs by ‘riding’ the bat, but Mannami is a natural power hitter who hits with raw power.”

While Mannami is now considered the top young power hitter in the Pacific League, veterans are not backing down.

“Hotaka Yamakawa (33) from SoftBank hits home runs that mostly land in the middle section of the outfield stands. There was a game where he hit a home run in the middle of the game with two outs and no runners on, which shifted the momentum and led to a comeback loss. His ability to hit home runs at critical moments is impressive,” says Imae.

“Yuki Yanagita (36) is also an amazing batter. His massive home runs to right field stand out, but his real strength is his ability to hit far in the opposite direction from center. I was shocked when I saw him repeatedly send easy pitches from the batting pitcher to left field during pre-game practice.”

SoftBank also has several future home run artists in the making.

“Giita is incredible, but I also see great potential in Richard (25). He’s won the home run title in the farm league five times. His swing speed and power are top-class in the NPB. If he overcomes the fear of getting jammed and makes his batting less compact when he gets to the first team, he could hit 40 home runs. I also have high hopes for Sasagawa (Yoshiyasu, 22). He’s a left-handed hitter with a similar physique to Giita, and even Giita himself acknowledges, ‘That guy hits it incredibly far.'”

In terms of batting completeness, Yamakawa and Yanagita, who have been producing home runs since the Heisei era, may outshine Mannami. However, considering their potential for growth, Richard, Sasagawa, and Mannami may eventually become the faces of the Pacific League in the future.

Rising and rising, never coming down.

Looking at the Central League, in contrast to the power-hitter style of Nakamasa Mannami, the name that comes up as a long-distance hitter who carries the ball is Kazuma Okamoto (28) of the Yomiuri Giants. Baseball commentator Takahiro Tokitsu speaks:

“Okamoto is good at relaxing his swing and applying spin to the ball, pushing it with a large follow-through. It’s a similar style to that of Hiromitsu Ochiai. Since he doesn’t force it, he can maintain a good batting average, and because he watches the ball longer, he can hit to the opposite field. While players like Teruaki Sato (25) and Yusuke Ohyama (29) of the Hanshin Tigers are excellent at pulling the ball, they still have some issues hitting to the opposite field. As of now, Okamoto would be the winner.”

A Central League team infielder, C, cites Okamoto’s 23rd home run on September 15th against Chunichi, which hit the left-field stand sign, as the best of the year.

“Sure, the split that Kento Fujishima (26) threw to him was a little off the mark, but when it’s a tied game at 3-3 in the 6th inning, for Okamoto to hit it that beautifully, you can only laugh. It probably went about 130m. Okamoto’s home runs are beautiful. When they fly, they really fly, but the trajectory is high, and instead of piercing the stands, they seem to fall from above. They’re high-flying balls with long hang-time that get fans excited.”

This huge fly ball from Okamoto was also watched by Chunichi’s Shigeya Hosokawa (26) from the right field, who has now thrown his hat into the ring as a home run artist of the Reiwa era.

“Hosokawa’s balls are just incredibly fast. The ball he hit off Tomoyuki Sugano (35) of the Giants on April 25th traveled at a speed of 185 km/h. Shohei Ohtani (30) hit a postseason ball at about 187 km/h. Hosokawa’s ball speed is almost on par with Ohtani’s. If you prefer clean arching home runs, then Okamoto is your man. But if you prefer power-packed, line-drive home runs, then Hosokawa is your guy,” says Tokitsu.

Chunichi, though, finished at the bottom of the league this season, despite Hosokawa’s 23 home runs. However, they have a tremendous slugger prospect in their farm system.

“Kousuke Ukai (25) has potential. A few years ago, I saw him for the first time during the Phoenix League, and he was hitting the hardest and fastest balls during batting practice. His power and distance are top-level even in the first team,” says former player and coach, Imae.

Although Ukai has only hit seven home runs in his professional career, he has the potential to climb up the home run rankings if he can find his rhythm.

Mannami, Okamoto, Hosokawa, and the next-generation sluggers… among the many powerful hitters in NPB, the most beautiful home run hitter as chosen by current players and OBs is still this man.

“It has to be Munetaka Murakami (24) of Yakult. Okamoto’s home runs have a nice, smooth arch that falls into the stands, but Munetaka’s balls rise, extend, and never come down. The hang-time is long, and they fly far. When you see a ball like that, you realize this is what a money-worthy home run looks like,” says a hitter from a Tokyo-based team.

The longest home run this season wasn’t hit by Ohtani, nor by Jesus Sanchez (27) of the Marlins, who set the MLB record with 146.3m, but by Murakami on September 14th during a game against the Giants.

“That ball went up to almost touch the roof of the (Tokyo) Dome, then hit the light fixture in the right-field wall without coming down. It was still rising. In the Dome, if a ball hits the sign, you get a 100,000 yen prize, but Murakami said after the game, ‘I hit it too far and couldn’t hit the sign. I wanted 100,000 yen.’ I thought, this guy’s a monster,” said an infielder from a Tokyo-based team.

The Reiwa era Triple Crown winner also earned the title of Reiwa’s No.1 “Home Run Artist.” However, both Okamoto and Murakami, who ranked highly, are expected to challenge for Major League Baseball next offseason. The next NPB’s top home run artist might be Mannami, Hosokawa, or someone else entirely.

Kazuma Okamoto (28) signed a one-year contract worth ¥540 million in his offseason contract renewal. Along 

Munetaka Murakami (24), the first Triple Crown winner of the Reiwa era, holds numerous records, including the most home runs in a season by a Japanese player with 56. However, his declining batting average remains a concern.