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In honor of the best players in Nippon Professional Baseball for the 2025 regular season, these are my selections for the All-NPB First and Second Teams. NPB declares “Best Nine” awards separately for the Central and Pacific Leagues, but does not name an overall “All-NPB” team like Major League Baseball, which led me to create it myself.
Nine hitters (one at each position plus three outfielders), along with six starting pitchers and three relief pitchers, were selected for each team, for a total of 36 players. While I did not enforce a minimum of plate appearances or innings, those who missed significant time were not considered for the First Team.
The candidates I chose drew on a broad range of statistics, from basic ones like home runs and innings pitched to more advanced metrics such as OPS+ and CSW%. I used Deltagraphs WAR as a reference point to gauge overall value, though I did not rely on it exclusively when making my final choices. I also factored in other cumulative metrics, including Ross Jensen’s Total Bases Advanced and Sports Info Solutions’ Total Runs, which captures hitting, defense, and base running.
First Team Batters
| Pos | Player | G | HR | SB | TBA | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ | K% | BB% | TZR/143 | DRS | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Sakamoto Seishiro | 117 | 2 | 2 | 179 | 0.247 | 0.357 | 0.326 | 0.683 | 115 | 22.0% | 12.8% | 4.5 | 25 | 🐯 | Hanshin |
| 1B | Nevin Tyler | 137 | 21 | 2 | 277 | 0.277 | 0.346 | 0.448 | 0.794 | 142 | 13.7% | 7.9% | 8.9 | -6 | 🦁 | Seibu |
| 2B | Nakano Takumu | 143 | 0 | 19 | 275 | 0.282 | 0.339 | 0.328 | 0.667 | 109 | 12.3% | 7.0% | 7.5 | 22 | 🐯 | Hanshin |
| 3B | Sato Teruaki | 139 | 40 | 10 | 374 | 0.277 | 0.345 | 0.579 | 0.924 | 186 | 27.3% | 9.5% | 8.0 | -12 | 🐯 | Hanshin |
| SS | Izuguchi Yuta | 133 | 6 | 4 | 253 | 0.301 | 0.362 | 0.393 | 0.755 | 134 | 10.5% | 8.2% | 11.3 | 0 | 🐰 | Yomiuri |
| OF | Yanagimachi Tatsuru | 131 | 6 | 2 | 233 | 0.292 | 0.384 | 0.376 | 0.760 | 131 | 21.1% | 12.0% | 10.1 | 17 | 🪶 | SoftBank |
| OF | Chikamoto Koji | 140 | 3 | 32 | 287 | 0.279 | 0.348 | 0.353 | 0.701 | 120 | 13.8% | 9.4% | 9.0 | 1 | 🐯 | Hanshin |
| OF | Morishita Shota | 143 | 23 | 5 | 313 | 0.275 | 0.350 | 0.463 | 0.813 | 153 | 13.9% | 8.7% | 13.9 | 15 | 🐯 | Hanshin |
| DH | Reyes Franmil | 132 | 32 | 0 | 292 | 0.277 | 0.347 | 0.515 | 0.862 | 152 | 24.3% | 9.8% | N/A | N/A | 🦊 | Nipponham |
Sakamoto: The veteran led all backstops in DRS with elite framing while maintaining a strong .357 OBP.
Nevin: The first-year import ranked fourth among qualified hitters with a 142 OPS+.
Nakano: A perfect role player, contributing 44 sac bunts, 22 DRS, 19 steals, and a 109 OPS+.
Sato: The presumptive CL MVP crushed a career-high 40 homers with 102 RBI and dominated the competition with a 186 OPS+.
Izuguchi: The breakout shortstop batted .301, third among qualifiers, while collecting over 6 WAR.
Yanagimachi: A steady force amid many injuries to teammates, he led NPB with a .384 OBP while piling up 17 DRS between left and right.
Chikamoto: The leadoff man delivered 5.8 WAR, 32 steals, and locked down center field defensively.
Morishita: The rising star had a career year, posting a 153 OPS+ and 6.1 WAR, both second in NPB.
Reyes: The Dominican slugger ranked top two in homers (32), RBI (90), and ISO (.238).
First Team Starting Pitchers
| Role | Pitcher | G | IP | SO | W | CG | ERA | ERA+ | FIP- | K% | BB% | K-BB% | GB% | CSW% | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP | Moinelo Livan | 24 | 167.0 | 172 | 12 | 3 | 1.46 | 210 | 75 | 26.9% | 6.6% | 20.3% | 41.2% | 30.6% | 🪶 | SoftBank |
| SP | Imai Tatsuya | 24 | 163.2 | 178 | 10 | 5 | 1.92 | 156 | 71 | 27.8% | 7.0% | 20.7% | 50.2% | 31.4% | 🦁 | Seibu |
| SP | Itoh Hiromi | 27 | 196.2 | 195 | 14 | 6 | 2.52 | 126 | 74 | 24.5% | 3.6% | 20.8% | 45.7% | 29.3% | 🦊 | Nipponham |
| SP | Miyagi Hiroya | 23 | 150.1 | 165 | 7 | 0 | 2.39 | 124 | 63 | 26.8% | 4.9% | 22.0% | 51.9% | 32.2% | 🐃 | ORIX |
| SP | Murakami Shoki | 26 | 175.1 | 144 | 14 | 3 | 2.10 | 137 | 81 | 21.2% | 3.7% | 17.5% | 38.2% | 28.0% | 🐯 | Hanshin |
| SP | Sumida Chihiro | 23 | 159.2 | 149 | 10 | 3 | 2.59 | 116 | 85 | 23.1% | 5.3% | 17.8% | 47.3% | 30.5% | 🦁 | Seibu |
Moinelo: The Cuban posted the best ERA in NPB at 1.46 and the second-highest strikeout rate at 26.9%.
Imai: The MLB-bound star led NPB with a 27.8 K% and placed second with a 71 FIP-.
Itoh: The workhorse threw 21 more innings and faced 73 more batters than any other pitcher, finishing with six complete games.
Miyagi: The lefty ace topped all qualifiers in FIP- (63), K-BB% (22.0%), and CSW% (32.2%).
Murakami: The former CL MVP was tied for the best WHIP at 0.89 and logged the second-most innings with 175.1.
Sumida: The southpaw lowered his ERA for the fourth consecutive year, finishing top five in both K-BB% and CSW%.
First Team Relief Pitchers
| Role | Pitcher | G | IP | SO | SV | HLD | ERA | ERA+ | FIP- | K% | BB% | K-BB% | GB% | CSW% | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RP | Matsuyama Shinya | 53 | 52.2 | 72 | 46 | 5 | 1.54 | 183 | 48 | 34.8% | 5.3% | 29.5% | 50.4% | 30.5% | 🐉 | Chunichi |
| RP | Martinez Raidel | 58 | 56.2 | 65 | 46 | 3 | 1.11 | 264 | 62 | 30.8% | 5.2% | 25.6% | 46.7% | 32.0% | 🐰 | Yomiuri |
| RP | Sugiyama Kazuki | 65 | 64.1 | 85 | 31 | 10 | 1.82 | 169 | 73 | 31.5% | 8.5% | 23.0% | 43.1% | 33.3% | 🪶 | SoftBank |
Matsuyama: The young flamethrower struck out 35% of batters and recorded 46 saves in his first year as closer.
Martinez: Not to be outdone by his successor, the Cuban led all pitchers with a 0.76 WHIP and tied for the NPB lead in saves.
Sugiyama: After taking over the ninth inning in May, he was lights-out, leading all pitchers with a 33.3 CSW%.
Second Team Batters
| Pos | Player | G | HR | SB | TBA | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ | K% | BB% | TZR/143 | DRS | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Kishida Yukinori | 87 | 8 | 0 | 139 | 0.293 | 0.355 | 0.417 | 0.772 | 139 | 14.7% | 8.4% | 5.2 | 8 | 🐰 | Yomiuri |
| 1B | Okamoto Kazuma | 69 | 15 | 1 | 187 | 0.327 | 0.416 | 0.598 | 1.014 | 212 | 11.3% | 11.3% | 13.3 | -1 | 🐰 | Yomiuri |
| 2B | Maki Shugo | 93 | 16 | 3 | 193 | 0.277 | 0.325 | 0.475 | 0.800 | 139 | 19.4% | 4.1% | 4.7 | -2 | ⭐ | DeNA |
| 3B | Murakami Munetaka | 56 | 22 | 4 | 162 | 0.273 | 0.379 | 0.663 | 1.042 | 199 | 28.6% | 14.3% | -23.3 | -12 | 🐧 | Yakult |
| SS | Kurebayashi Kotaro | 116 | 9 | 1 | 184 | 0.260 | 0.321 | 0.383 | 0.704 | 116 | 12.8% | 7.8% | -7.4 | -12 | 🐃 | ORIX |
| OF | Nishikawa Manaya | 124 | 10 | 25 | 256 | 0.264 | 0.318 | 0.387 | 0.705 | 115 | 14.5% | 5.8% | -0.6 | 8 | 🦁 | Seibu |
| OF | Shuto Ukyo | 96 | 3 | 35 | 208 | 0.286 | 0.357 | 0.354 | 0.711 | 116 | 17.0% | 8.6% | 24.6 | 7 | 🪶 | SoftBank |
| OF | Okabayashi Yuki | 143 | 5 | 17 | 291 | 0.291 | 0.348 | 0.382 | 0.730 | 132 | 8.9% | 8.0% | -3.6 | -11 | 🐉 | Chunichi |
| DH | Kondoh Kensuke | 75 | 10 | 0 | 171 | 0.301 | 0.410 | 0.492 | 0.902 | 171 | 14.0% | 15.3% | N/A | N/A | 🪶 | SoftBank |
Kishida: Overshadowed by Kai early on, he exploded in the second half and finished with a 139 OPS+.
Okamoto: Among hitters with over 200 PA, the MLB-bound slugger led NPB with an elite .327 AVG and a 212 OPS+.
Maki: Despite missing the final two months, he still produced his fifth straight season with an OPS of .800 or better.
Murakami: In his final NPB season, the superstar clubbed 22 homers in just 56 games and a gaudy .390 ISO.
Kurebayashi: The youngster had the most homers and the second most WAR among everyday shortstops.
Nishikawa: A dynamic threat, he broke out with double-digit homers and steals while adding 8 DRS in center.
Shuto: The speedster led NPB with 35 swipes and ranked seventh with 4.2 WAR despite only having 96 games played.
Okabayashi: The leadoff man did not miss a game and led all center fielders with a 132 OPS+.
Kondoh: After missing time with a back injury, the superstar returned to his consistent ways with a .410 OBP and .902 OPS.
Second Team Starting Pitchers
| Role | Pitcher | G | IP | SO | W | CG | ERA | ERA+ | FIP- | K% | BB% | K-BB% | GB% | CSW% | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP | Kitayama Koki | 22 | 149.0 | 143 | 9 | 4 | 1.63 | 195 | 77 | 23.9% | 7.5% | 16.4% | 41.3% | 28.1% | 🦊 | Nipponham |
| SP | Yamasaki Iori | 25 | 156.1 | 131 | 11 | 1 | 2.07 | 142 | 89 | 21.0% | 5.8% | 15.2% | 54.7% | 28.2% | 🐰 | Yomiuri |
| SP | Kay Anthony | 24 | 155.0 | 130 | 9 | 1 | 1.74 | 177 | 84 | 21.5% | 6.8% | 14.7% | 57.8% | 29.1% | ⭐ | DeNA |
| SP | Taneichi Atsuki | 24 | 160.2 | 161 | 9 | 2 | 2.63 | 117 | 92 | 24.2% | 7.5% | 16.7% | 49.2% | 29.3% | ⚓ | Lotte |
| SP | Saiki Hiroto | 24 | 157.0 | 122 | 12 | 3 | 1.55 | 186 | 88 | 19.2% | 6.9% | 12.3% | 41.5% | 27.2% | 🐯 | Hanshin |
| SP | Duplantier Jon | 15 | 90.2 | 113 | 6 | 2 | 1.39 | 208 | 48 | 32.4% | 5.7% | 26.6% | 49.0% | 33.2% | 🐯 | Hanshin |
Kitayama: His 195 ERA+ placed second in NPB in his first qualified season as a starter.
Yamasaki: The groundball machine delivered a career year, ranking top 10 in both ERA+ and FIP-.
Kay: The American led all qualified pitchers with a 57.8 GB% while finishing top five in ERA+ and WHIP.
Taneichi: After a rough first half, he transformed into one of NPB’s top arms down the stretch and finished fifth with a 24.2 K%.
Saiki: The right-hander was second with a 1.55 ERA (186 ERA+), marking his fourth straight sub-2.00 ERA season.
Duplantier: The most dominant starter on a per-inning basis, his 1.39 ERA, 48 FIP-, and 32.4 K% were unmatched over 15 starts.
Second Team Relief Pitchers
| Role | Pitcher | G | IP | SO | SV | HLD | ERA | ERA+ | FIP- | K% | BB% | K-BB% | GB% | CSW% | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RP | Ishii Daichi | 53 | 53.0 | 42 | 9 | 36 | 0.17 | 1698 | 60 | 21.1% | 3.5% | 17.6% | 41.3% | 27.7% | 🐯 | Hanshin |
| RP | Fujii Kouya | 51 | 50.0 | 75 | 2 | 19 | 1.44 | 213 | 45 | 38.5% | 7.2% | 31.3% | 38.5% | 32.1% | 🪶 | SoftBank |
| RP | Nishiguchi Naoto | 52 | 50.2 | 70 | 1 | 31 | 1.07 | 266 | 58 | 36.5% | 6.8% | 29.7% | 43.4% | 30.8% | 🦅 | Rakuten |
Ishii: A historic season for the ages, ending with 50 straight scoreless appearances and a ridiculous 0.17 ERA (1698 ERA+).
Fujii: The former independent leaguer led NPB (min. 50 IP) with a 45 FIP- and a 38.5 K%.
Nishiguchi: The 28-year-old had a major breakthrough, highlighted by a 266 ERA+ and 36.5 K%.
Batting Leaders
Pitching Leaders
Fielding Leaders
Dashboard & Player Percentiles
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