It’s time for an additional cycle of prospect lists and, as has develop into customary, we’re beginning with scouting studies on professional gamers in overseas leagues, with a give attention to gamers out there for MLB free company this offseason. On The Board, you’ll be able to entry a contemporary batch of scouting studies and evaluations for related gamers from Nippon Skilled Baseball, the Korea Baseball Group, and the Chinese language Skilled Baseball League in Taiwan, in addition to studies on some younger gamers we’ve recognized as doubtlessly impactful long-term prospects. For many who want a crash course on the age- and professional experience-driven strains of demarcation that dictate how MLB groups signal worldwide gamers, we’d level you to various MLB.com glossary entries, together with these on worldwide free company for these in Asian professional leagues, worldwide newbie free company and bonus pool restrictions, the Japanese posting system, and the Korean posting system.
It may be a bit overwhelming to sift by way of so many several types of gamers on that part of The Board — it’s an actual apples and oranges scenario after we’re speaking about some guys who’re of their 30s and others who’re pretty younger — so we’ve damaged lots of them into digestible subgroups beneath, with give attention to the crop that’s presupposed to be coming over this offseason. You’ll discover that some gamers seem throughout a number of classes. The Board has every participant’s full scouting report and power grades — consider this as extra of a desk of contents.
Murakami
Munetaka Murakami, 3B/1B, Yakult Swallows (NPB)
Like Roki Sasaki final 12 months, the 25-year-old Murakami will get his personal part as a result of he’s fairly comfortably essentially the most well-known participant of this group and his arrival is essentially the most anticipated. On the time of his volcanic breakout within the 2021 and 2022 seasons, you couldn’t assist however impatiently twiddle your thumbs ready for the time when Murakami would matriculate to our shores. Now he’s doing in order actual questions on his potential to make a viable fee of contact swirl round his profile. Murakami has very particular left-handed energy, simply a 70 or 80 on the scouting scale, and his 56-homer peak season exemplifies what he can do when he’s accessing that energy frequently. In 2023, his strikeout fee regressed as much as 28.1%, close to the place it was when Murakami was nonetheless an bettering teenager, and it’s hovered in that vary for the previous three seasons. That’s a fairly large, scary quantity for a Japanese hitter making an attempt to transition to MLB.
Murakami’s splits towards good velocity (63% contact fee since 2022) and towards secondary pitches (simply above 50% in 2025) are much more regarding. Basically, each secondary pitch sort performed like an elite providing towards him in 2025. This can be as a result of Murakami handled a litany of accidents from the tip of 2024 by way of the center of 2025 (toe, elbow, indirect), or it could be remedied with a tweak to the way in which his palms arrange in order that he can extra frequently be on time towards good fastballs. But when Murakami is just ever the standard of contact hitter we’ve seen the final three years, with no adjustments or enhancements, he principally can’t be a superb MLB hitter. Except for Joey Gallo, there actually isn’t precedent for somebody making this little contact and having a sustained, profitable profession of any form.
The overall consensus amongst our contacts is that every one it can take for Murakami to land an enormous contract is for a few groups to have each the price range and the need to pursue him due to his energy potential, after which attempt to make adjustments that actualize it. Elite left-handed energy doesn’t develop on timber, and there are causes to consider Murakami has been compromised and hitting beneath his true expertise for the final short while. He’s going to be a really costly lottery ticket. Caveat emptor.
Poised for Rapid Influence
Tatsuya Imai, RHP, Seibu Lions (NPB)
Kazuma Okamoto, 1B/3B, Yomiuri Giants (NPB)
Cody Ponce, RHP, Hanwha Eagles (KBO)
The 27-year-old Imai has steadily improved as a strike-thrower and innings-eater every of the final three years, and his fastball was nonetheless sitting within the mid-90s on the finish of 2025 regardless that he’d labored 160-plus innings for the second consecutive season. Imai’s supply arguably doesn’t take full benefit of his particular athleticism and suppleness, and he may discover one other gear in MLB. He has the stuff of a superb mid-rotation starter and is in his prime.
Okamoto, 29, is the bumper bowling model of Murakami. He’s safer and, particularly over the past two years, has improved his contact efficiency towards good fastballs such that we’re extra assured his bat will translate instantly. He doesn’t have the identical general ceiling as Murakami and he’s a couple of years older, so his contract will most likely are available beneath Murakami’s regardless that he’s a safer short-term wager.
Ponce’s deal ought to exceed the two-year, $15 million deal Erick Fedde 페디 acquired a few offseasons in the past after he skilled a late-career renaissance in Korea a lot the way in which Ponce did in 2025. Ponce completely reshaped his physique, added two ticks to his fastball and developed a plus splitter, and the added velocity carried over to his breaking pitches, which acquired higher consequently. Not solely is Ponce completely totally different than he was when he left the U.S., however he’s completely totally different than he was solely a few 12 months in the past. He ought to have the ability to contribute as a superb staff’s fourth starter and command a two-year deal within the $20 million – $25 million space.
Would possibly Not Come At All
Hiroto Saiki, RHP, Hanshin Tigers (NPB)
Jo Hsi Hsu, RHP, Wei Chuan Dragons (CPBL)
Drew Anderson, RHP, SSG Landers (KBO)
Lewin Díaz, 1B, Samsung Lions (KBO)
Our sources cautioned us that the 27-year-old Saiki, who has a plus splitter and surgical command, just isn’t a lock to come back over. Hsu goes to be fascinating as a result of it’s possible that the majority MLB groups take into account him a reliever. He might resolve to go to NPB, the place he’s extra prone to begin, and show he can do it for a 12 months or two earlier than coming to MLB. He’s an incredible athlete, however he didn’t maintain his velo all through 2025. We actually like him as a reliever and suppose he might be a set-up man. Anderson has frolicked pitching in each Japan and (extra just lately) Korea. A transfer again to NPB will probably be profitable, and maybe extra steady and handy for private causes (Anderson is married to a Japanese lady, for one), so except an MLB staff blows him away, he may simply stick round in Asia and be a star there. Díaz hit 50 homers in Korea this 12 months regardless that he’s nonetheless very chase-prone. It’s believable groups will probably be skeptical of that energy translating the way in which it did for Eric Thames a couple of years in the past.
We Disagree About
Drew Anderson, RHP, SSG Landers (KBO)
Sung-moon Tune 송성문, 3B, Kiwoom Heroes (KBO)
We had a large hole in our private evaluations of those two gamers, in the end utilizing the upper of the 2 evals for each. Certainly one of us thinks Anderson generally is a huge league starter, a no. 4/5 on a superb staff, whereas the opposite sees him as extra of a reliever. And one in every of us sees Tune as a second division common at third base, whereas the opposite is terrified that his swing gained’t play towards pitches away from him.
Different Potential Starters
Anthony Kay, LHP, Yokohama Baystars (NPB)
Foster Griffin, LHP, Yomiuri Giants (NPB)
Kona Takahashi, RHP, Seibu Lions (NPB)
Kay and Griffin are looking for MLB offers whereas touting roughly the identical lefty swingman-level stuff they’ve confirmed prior to now, however now with a number of seasons of NPB beginning success to bolster their pitchability reputations. Takahashi can actually pitch, however his fastball misses bats at a single-digit clip and that could be a barrier. Any of those three might be an appropriate fifth starter subsequent 12 months.
Guys We’re Extra Snug Projecting in Aid
Jo Hsi Hsu, RHP, Wei Chuan Dragons (CPBL)
Ryan Weiss, RHP, Hanwha Eagles (KBO)
Jon Duplantier, RHP, Hanshin Tigers (NPB)
Sho Iwasaki, RHP, Orix Buffaloes (NPB)
Takahiro Norimoto, RHP, Rakuten Golden Eagles (NPB)
Andre Jackson, RHP, Yokohama BayStars (NPB)
James Naile, RHP, Kia Tigers (KBO)
Zach Logue, LHP, Doosan Bears (KBO)
Riley Thompson, RHP, NC Dinos (KBO)
A number of pitchers on this group depend on deception (Logue, Iwasaki), or must pitch backwards attributable to a scarcity of fastball effectiveness (Thompson, Naile, Jackson), or have shaky command or stamina (Weiss, Duplantier, Hsu), and subsequently have a point of aid threat regardless that a few of them have began abroad. Hsu is grouped with that final trio at current, however his US debut might not come till he has extra time to ply his commerce within the rotation. He might be a late-inning choice instantly upon conversion. Weiss appeared actually nasty late in 2025 when he got here out of the bullpen within the playoffs. Duplantier and Jackson are speculative projections primarily based on their lack of fastball effectiveness, command, and stamina.
Limitations to Entry
Livan Moinelo, LHP, Fukuoka Hawks (NPB)
Raidel Martinez, RHP, Yomiyuri Ginats (NPB)
As we’ve famous in prior iterations of those updates, Cuban gamers like Moinelo (a no. 3 starter sort) and Martinez (a dominant nearer) are taking part in in Japan with the blessing of the Cuban authorities, and so would wish to defect and set up residency someplace else with a purpose to signal with an MLB staff.
Excessive-Variance Names to File Away
Shunpeita Yamashita, SP, Orix Buffaloes (NPB)
Do Yeong Kim 김도영, 3B, KIA Tigers (KBO)
Shion Matsuo, C, Yokohama BayStars (NPB)
Dong Ju Moon 문동주, SP, Hanwha Eagles (KBO)
There are numerous gamers who we’ve recognized as price following for future years (and we’ll proceed so as to add and replace extra of them on The Board), however this group has a couple of key names that we wish to spotlight other than the remaining. Yamashita (stress response in his again) and Kim (hamstring) have had recurring harm points that put a damper on their 2025 seasons. The 23-year-old Yamashita has an enormous league physique and flashes three plus pitches; we take into account him the perfect long-term prospect in NPB proper now. Kim has an influence/velocity combo (he may find yourself taking part in middle subject) and a few hit instrument threat. Matsuo is a uncooked, athletic, 21-year-old catcher. Moon has a strong arm motion and one thing near an enormous league starter’s body.