13 Samurai Major Leaguers: “Ranking of Expectations”, from SS to D!

For the first time in history! Three Japanese pitchers in a row

Major League Baseball has started again this year. While the Dodgers’ successes have been reported daily on the wide-screen TV shows, there are 13 Samurai who will be competing on the world’s highest stage this season. FRIDAY has compiled an 8-point “Expectation Ranking” based on the evaluations of baseball commentator Keiichi Yabu, major league critic Nachi Tomonari, and several reporters who have been covering the Dodgers on the field. The following is a look ahead to the 2026 Japanese Major League Baseball season, along with photos of the players. The Padres’ Yu Darvish (39), who has announced he will miss the entire season due to injury, is excluded from the list.

Shohei Ohtani (31) Dodgers

Pitching: Highly anticipated (S), 10 wins
Hitting: SS, 50 home runs, 99% chance of making the postseason, World Series

He has a 99% chance of making the postseason and a top 30 team chance of winning the World Series. FanGraphs, a major league data analysis site, calculated these astonishing figures for the Dodgers, who won the world championship two years in a row, the year before last and last year.

On March 31 (Japan time), Akinori Sasaki (24) pitched a complete game against the Guardians, allowing one run in five innings, followed by Shohei Ohtani (31) on April 1 and last season’s World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (27) on the following day. It was the first time in the long history of Major League Baseball that a Japanese pitcher from the same team was given the starting mound for three consecutive games.

Ohtani should have one of his best seasons ever in terms of pitching and hitting. As a pitcher, he should be able to hit over 160 km/h with his four-seamer, curveball, sinker, and fastball. As a pitcher, I expect him to win 10 games.

However, expectations for this season’s pitching may be higher for SS Yamamoto, who ranks 4th in MLB’s power rankings for starting pitchers and is a Cy Young Award candidate. He will probably get more wins than last season. Sasaki is a “C” prospect considering his poor start to the season, but if he can produce consistent results in the first four games of the season, he has a good chance of turning into a good pitcher.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (27) Dodgers

Expectation level SS: 15 wins
He pitched more than 200 innings last season, including the postseason, and maintained a high level of performance. Toughness is one of his charms.

Akinori Sasaki（24） Dodgers

Expectation C
In his first appearance of the season on March 31, he pitched well, allowing one run in five innings. Will he be able to establish himself in the rotation?

Three consecutive home runs

Ozzie Guillen, 62, who boasts 1,764 hits in the majors and was manager of the White Sox, exclaimed, “This guy is the real deal! Munetaka Murakami (26), who made his major league debut with the White Sox, was praised by Ozzie Geen (62), the manager of the White Sox, who has 1,764 hits in all.

He has hit home runs in three straight games since the season opener, and the key will be how he responds to the 160 km/h speed ball. He still has a lot of work to do, but I expect him to hit 30 homers in his first year, so I’d give him an A+.

Kazuma Okamoto (29), who came over to Japan with Murakami, is also showing offensive and defensive promise.

The Blue Jays are a strong team that played the Dodgers in Game 7 of last year’s World Series. We expect more chances to come around. Okamoto is a hitter with a high contact rate and few strikeouts, so he matches the team’s colors, and his response to fastballs is also perfect, as his No. 2 ball on March 31 was close to about 160 km/h. He will probably record a higher batting average than Murakami and clear 20 home runs and 80 runs batted in. He has also been able to play the third position, which had been viewed as a concern, without any difficulty, and is receiving high praise from the leadership.

Tomoyuki Sugano (36, B) of the Rockies, who faced his former teammate Okamoto on March 31, is aiming for a three-run average at Coors Field, known as the “pitchers’ graveyard” because of its high elevation and the tendency for pitches to fly away.

Munetaka Murakami (26) White Sox

Expectations: A+, 30 homers.
He made his debut in a shocking three-game hitting streak, but his defensive skills and ability to handle a hard fastball are unknown. We hope he can keep up his current good form.

Kazuma Okamoto (29) Blue Jays

Expectations: A, 20 homers, .280 batting average
He has been able to handle the third base defense, which had been viewed as a concern, without difficulty, and has made a series of fine plays. He quickly won a spot on the main axis of a powerful team.

Tomoyuki Sugano (36) Rockies

Expectations: B
The right-hander, who has reached the level of a veteran, showed his proficiency in pitching, especially with his breaking ball, in the WBC. Will he be able to show this in the season as well?

Seiya Suzuki (31, A+) of the Cubs, who competed in the WBC with Kanno and others, missed the start of the season due to an injury sustained during the tournament, but is scheduled to return in April and will be aiming to do even better than last year when he hit 30 home runs and drove in 100 runs.

Shota Imanaga (32, Expectations A), also of the Cubs, gave up four runs in six innings in his first start of the season on March 30 and was the losing pitcher, but the ball he is throwing is not bad as he has been working on improving his velocity in the off-season. However, as he enters his third year in the major leagues, it is hard to shake off the impression that opposing batters have become accustomed to his pitching, and in order to have a season similar to his 15-3 record in his first year, he will need to develop new key pitches in addition to his four-seam and split.

Kohdai Senga (33, AAA), like Imanaga, has the ability to become the Mets’ ace again if he can hone his pitches other than his “ghost fork.

Seiya Suzuki (31) Cubs

Expectations: A+, 30 homers, 100 runs
He was injured in the WBC game against Venezuela and did not start the season well, but his hitting ability is still there. This season, he hopes to improve his batting average.

Shota Imanaga（32） Cubs

Expectation A. Assumed 10 wins.
I expect him to expand his pitching range and improve on his dominant 15-3 record in his first season in the Majors in 2012.

Kota Senga (33) Mets

Expectation Level A
Despite pitching like a Cy Young Award winner in the early part of last season, he lost sight of his own pitching after leaving the game with an injury. He hopes to have an injury-free year.

Expectations are high for Ichiyo

Masanao Yoshida, 32, of the Red Sox, is a C. But he has a complicated team situation.

In addition to Yoshida, the Sox have four other outfielders who are both top class in the majors and young, so they are unable to give him a chance to play. Even if we tried to trade him, it would be difficult to find a buyer because of his high salary. It is going to be a season of patience,” said Tomonari.

Yusei Kikuchi (34) of the Angels is expected to be an innings eater this season, with a 3.00 ERA. His expectations are B+, as pitchers with high pitch counts tend to be highly rated in the Majors.

In contrast to Kikuchi, who showed his toughness in the WBC, Hiroki Matsui (30), who started the season on the disabled list after a disappointing absence due to injury, is rated D. He should improve his four-strikeout rate and home run rate to win the team’s trust.

Masanao Yoshida（32） Red Sox

Expectations: C
He has the ability to hit .300 if given a chance. Can he take advantage of the few chances he gets and earn a starting spot?

Yusei Kikuchi (34) Angels

Probable innings pitched: 180
A starting pitcher who can consistently pitch around 170 innings without injury is a valuable asset in the Majors.

Hiroki Matsui（30） Padres

Expectations: D
Matsui had hoped to break away from being a losing pitcher this season, but an injury in camp forced him out. Expect him to evolve during his rehabilitation period.

Tatsuya Imai (27) of the Astros is expected to be a Rookie of the Year, and although he gave up four runs in three innings in his debut game on March 30, he is rated A+. The pitching he showed in the open game before the season opener was outstanding. His fastball was nearly 160 km/h, and his pitching stuff was first-rate, including a fork and slider with a large change-up and a change-up that shifts his timing. As long as his strike rate improves, he should be able to win 10 games in his first year.

This year, more Samurai Major Leaguers other than the three Dodgers are expected to make TV headlines.

Tatsuya Imai (27) Astros

Expectations: A+, 10 wins
He made a bittersweet major league debut, giving up four runs in three innings, but his command of his pitches is perfect. The key will be to stabilize his fastball control.

From the April 17/24, 2026 issue of FRIDAY