Here are my updated NPB starting pitcher rankings as of May 30, 2025. These are essentially rest-of-season rankings, not power rankings. In other words, I’m ranking pitchers based on where I believe they truly belong moving forward, not just on season-to-date results. Recent performance is a major factor, but track record, underlying metrics, and overall stuff carry more weight in projecting the future. Click here for the full 2025 NPB pitching stats leaderboard.

Notes on the Top 10
Other Notable Names
Key Injuries
Prospects Coming Soon
Complete Rankings

Notes on the Top 10

Tatsuya Imai has completed seven or more innings with two earned runs or fewer in each of his nine starts this season, leading to an extraordinary 0.65 ERA! He’s also struck out seven or more batters in seven of those outings, including eight no-hit innings on April 18. He has the lowest walk rate of his career at 7.1%, and right-handed hitters are slashing just .108/.167/.144 against him. The cherry on top? He recently touched a career-best 100 mph.

Hiroya Miyagi has maintained nearly identical numbers from his career-best 2024 season with a 146 ERA+ and 20.3 K-BB%. His slider, splitter, and changeup each have a whiff rate above 30%. Left-handed hitters are slashing just .175/.197/.222 against him. He has the highest floor of any pitcher in the league.

Hiromi Itoh has pitched seven or more innings in seven consecutive starts and still looks like the best version of himself from the second half of 2024. He’s sitting 93+ mph on his fastball and is pairing it beautifully with his array of excellent secondaries, including a sweeper, slider, and splitter. Once his subpar HR/FB ratio normalizes, he can hold a sub-2 ERA.

Chihiro Sumida is evolving as he’s managing his splits significantly better this season. What’s better than having one of the nastiest putaway pitches for a left-hander? Having two of the nastiest putaway pitches in the league! His changeup, largely thrown to righties, has a 42.1 Whiff%. His splitter is being thrown slightly harder this season and has produced a ridiculous 44.9 Whiff% and .053 BAA.

Livan Moinelo is getting more and more comfortable in his second season as a starting pitcher. He’s made it into the 7th inning in eight of his nine outings and has great stability in his four-pitch mix. He has a 192 ERA+ and 19.0 K-BB%.

Foster Griffin is back. After missing the first month of the season with injury, he’s quickly settled in with a 0.69 ERA and 30.3 K% in five games (four starts). His deep seven-pitch mix is producing excellent results across the board, highlighted by his sweeper and splitter each having a whiff rate over 45% and his changeup at a diabolical 58%!

Shoki Murakami is a workhorse and soft contact machine. He’s completed at least seven innings in seven of his nine starts this season, including two complete game shutouts. His strikeout rate still isn’t back to the 25% mark it was when he won the Central League MVP in 2023, but his walk rate is below 3% again, and his new slider has allowed him to substantially reduce the usage of his ineffective cutter.

Jon Duplantier leads NPB in strikeout rate among pitchers with at least six starts at 31.4%. His four-seamer has one of the best whiff rates in the league, while his slider, curveball, and changeup each have a CSW% over 36%. Unhittable! The next step for him is to work deeper into games.

Iori Yamasaki has emerged as one of the best starters in Japan in the mold of a Hiroto Takahashi-esque groundball machine. He’s throwing a harder splinker this season and has upped the usage on it to 30%, making it his primary weapon of choice. His strikeout rate may dip into the low 20% range, but his 55.6 GB% boosts his value in the dead ball environment.

Haruto Inoue has recorded five or more strikeouts in seven of his nine starts this season, including a 14-strikeout masterpiece on April 22. He ranks third in NPB among qualifiers with a 32.1 CSW%, behind only Trevor Bauer and Tatsuya Imai.

Other Notable Names

Hiroto Takahashi is having a down year. His fastball shape has regressed, and he’s dealing with small mechanical issues that are preventing him from maximizing his stuff like in years past. But even at his worst, his elite splinker and new two-seamer will allow him to generate soft contact and get by.

Ruei Yang Gu Lin has had an impressive start to his NPB career, striking out 27.9% of batters with a 1.93 xFIP. He was mostly a three-pitch guy in the CPBL, but added a sinker and slider in spring, making him far more dynamic. With a 24.6 Whiff%, he already has one of the best four-seamers in the league. He may require some significant load management, but the stuff is clearly legit.

Yumeto Kanemaru has arrived! The top prospect of last year’s draft has quickly showcased his dominance with a 1.50 ERA, 27.9 K%, 4.4 BB%, and 59.1 GB% in three NPB starts so far. His six-pitch arsenal is far more polished than almost any rookie in history. He has one of the best four-seamers for a left-hander in the league, and his slider and splitter are excellent putaways.

Anthony Kay leads Central League qualifiers with a 1.15 ERA. He’s throwing his four-seamer and sinker in the strike zone more this year, which has helped him gain count leverage frequently and lower his walk rate from 9.0% to 6.5%. He also boasts a very good 51.0 GB% and has reverse splits, with righties only managing a .480 OPS as opposed to lefties with a .641 OPS.

Hiroki Tokoda is defying the odds again with a 179 ERA+ in nine starts despite having a below-average strikeout rate and xFIP for the fourth consecutive season. He’s thrown three complete game shutouts! Regression will hit eventually, but his ability to consistently keep the ball on the ground and limit hard contact has a skills component. And who doesn’t like a good old-fashioned palmball?

Yuji Akahoshi leads NPB with a microscopic 1.9 BB%. He’s also in the top six among qualifiers with a 30.4 CSW%, which is driven by an incredibly high called strike rate. His lack of an elite swing-and-miss weapon lowers his ceiling, but he’s maintained a groundball rate north of 55% in three consecutive seasons and will continue to limit damage effectively.

Kota Tatsu is ready for the show. He blew away the farm competition with a 0.35 ERA and 26.7 K% in five games before getting called up. His four-seamer hasn’t translated well to the NPB level yet, but the former first-rounder has still managed to register a 25.5 K% in 13 innings while allowing just one run so far. His fly ball profile will lead to some home run trouble, but he has the potential to develop into a Hiroto Saiki-esque star.

Kyle Muller has been a victim of very bad luck with a 4.73 ERA / 2.30 xFIP in six starts. He has the stuff to be a frontline starter in NPB like Foster Griffin, but he’ll need to find consistent results quickly to continue to get rotation opportunities.

Shosei Togo finally picked up his first win of the season last week after a disastrous start to the year that saw him demoted to the farm for the first time since 2021, as his entire arsenal is getting crushed. He’s struggling to consistently get his fastball over 92 mph. Still, his stellar track record says he’ll find success again eventually.

Atsuki Taneichi isn’t the same player we’ve seen over the past three seasons when he established himself as a true ace. His four-seam shape has regressed — what was once considered an “invisa-ball” has only produced a 10.5 Whiff% this year, and his secondaries aren’t elite enough to make up for it. He’ll need to decrease his reliance on the fastball to stay a viable starter.

Hideaki Wakui is having a 38-year-old mini renaissance. He’s four for four on quality starts and currently has the best strikeout rate of his career since…check notes…2009.

Key Injuries (relative rank if healthy)

Shunpeita Yamashita – Back (1-10)

Haruto Takahashi – Arm (5-15)

Carter Stewart Jr. – Abdomen (25-35)

Keiji Takahashi – Upper Body (25-35)

Kodai Umetsu – Unknown (25-35)

Yuya Yanagi – Shoulder (40-50)

Prospects Coming Soon (yet to make NPB start in 2025)

Yuhi Nishidate – Age 23, 24.8 K-BB% in 30.0 IP as a swingman, NPB ready

Yuto Nakamura – Age 22, 21.3 K-BB% in 24.0 IP in his first six pro games, NPB ready

Yugo Maeda – Age 19, 19.7 K-BB% in 30.2 IP (only one walk!), NPB ready

Hayato Tsunehiro – Age 23, 6.3 K-BB% in nine games, not NPB ready

Ren Fukushima – Age 22, 13.8 K-BB% in seven games, not NPB ready

Yuta Matsukihira – Age 22, 8.3 K-BB% in three games, not NPB ready

Kyosuke Saito – Age 20, 1.7 K-BB% in six games, not NPB ready

Here are 85 pitchers who have made at least two starts in the past 30 days or currently hold an NPB rotation spot, ranked. The change column indicates their movement from the previous list made on April 7.