Here are my updated NPB starting pitcher rankings as of July 8, 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

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Notes on the Top 10

Tatsuya Imai broke Daisuke Matsuzaka’s Seibu Lions franchise record with a 17-strikeout shutout on June 17 in Yokohama. He allowed just two hits while recording a ridiculous 27 whiffs and a 100 Bill James Game Score. He’s the only qualified NPB starter with a strikeout rate over 30%, and his walk rate is at a career-best 6.6%. He hasn’t made it past the fifth inning in either of his last two starts (one ended early due to heat stroke), but he still racked up six strikeouts and 15+ swings and misses in each outing.

Livan Moinelo set a SoftBank Hawks franchise record with 18 strikeouts over eight innings on June 6, then followed it up with 13 more punchouts on June 13. Impossible! Sure, the lineups he faced (Yakult and DeNA) are below-average offensively, but they own the lowest team strikeout rates in the CL, so the performances are legit. He can consistently rely on each of his four pitches, and he’s tied with Imai for the best xFIP- in NPB at 68. Needless to say, this is the best the Cuban has ever looked as a starter.

Hiroya Miyagi had a rough June by his own elite standards, posting a 4.12 ERA and 1.27 WHIP…but he still maintained an excellent 25% strikeout rate and a 77 xFIP-. Much of his struggles can be chalked up to poor defense behind him as Orix owns a league-worst -52 Defensive Runs Saved. He still ranks among the top four in NPB with a 31.3 CSW% and 20.5 K-BB%.

Jon Duplantier was already one of the best pitchers in NPB on an inning-by-inning basis, but now he’s consistently working deep into games. He’s gone into the seventh inning in five of his last six starts, including complete game shutouts in two of his last three. Among pitchers with at least 70 innings, he leads by a comfortable margin in strikeout minus walk rate (28.9%), FIP- (42), xFIP- (56), and CSW rate (33.5%). His entire arsenal is elite!

Foster Griffin has a 0.82 ERA in 66 innings. Enough said. While he’s benefited from some favorable batted-ball luck, the peripheral numbers speak for themselves. He owns an elite 31.7 CSW%, 20.9% K-BB%, and a 55 FIP-. His trio of fastballs keeps hitters guessing and helps his below-average velo play up. He also has three true swing-and-miss weapons in the sweeper to lefties and his changeup and splitter to righties.

Chihiro Sumida has posted a quality start in 12 of his 13 games this season. He may not quite have the ceiling of the guys above him, but he hides his below-average four-seamer very well and lets his secondaries take care of business. Opponents are hitting just .141 against his changeup and .075 against his splitter. He’s also significantly upped his cutter usage to lefties, which has produced an elite 42.2 CSW% as he pounds it in the zone.

Hiromi Itoh leads the PL with 104 2/3 innings pitched and four complete games. He’s the only starter in NPB with a strikeout rate over 24% and a walk rate below 4%. By whiff rate, he has the second-best four-seam fastball among qualifiers behind only Imai. He left his most recent outing after five innings with a minor heat stroke, but had made it into the seventh inning in 12 consecutive starts before then.

Koki Kitayama dazzled in June with a 0.38 ERA, which included a 14-strikeout gem on June 12, followed by taking a no-hitter into the ninth inning on June 19. He’s primarily a north-south profile and is making the most of his arsenal by attacking with hard stuff up in the zone and soft stuff down. His three primary pitches (four-seamer, splitter, knuckle curve) have each generated batting averages below .200.

Shoki Murakami continues to provide length every time out. His superb command and deep mix help him maintain effectiveness, as he has the second-best FIP- in NPB when going the third time through the order. Opponents are actually hitting worse the longer he stays in (BAA is .203 the first time through the order, .194 the second time, and .191 the third). His split-change accounts for nearly a third of all his strikeouts, and it has a gaudy 57.6% whiff rate against righties.

Iori Yamasaki leads qualified pitchers with a 1.14 ERA (241 ERA+). The secret to this success? A splinker with a ridiculous 68% ground ball rate and .211 wOBAcon. In his most recent outing, he threw the pitch 32% of the time en route to eight scoreless frames with ten punchouts. His overall ground ball rate of 56.4% is second only to his teammate, Yuji Akahoshi. Hitters are also chasing outside the zone 38.9% of the time against him, the highest mark in NPB.

Other Notable Names

Haruya Tanaka owns a 27.4% strikeout rate, fourth-best among pitchers with at least 50 innings, and leads NPB with a sub-80% zone-contact rate. The 20-year-old breakout stud still has some kinks to iron out, as seen in his most recent start, where he gave up two bombs on poorly located fastballs, but he also struck out 11 batters and recorded 23 whiffs in six innings. He’s extremely four-seam reliant, as is the case with many Lotte pitchers, throwing it over 57% of the time. That said, his splitter and slider have both generated elite whiff rates at 54.4% and 40.5%, respectively. His potential is a top five starter by the end of the season!

Haru Matsumoto already showed flashes of greatness in 2024, but his recent stretch of starts has showcased a whole new level. He’s struck out 39.7% of batters over his last three starts, which includes a 14-strikeout game on July 3. The southpaw already has excellent gloveside command from a lower slot and has two reliable putaways in the slider and changeup. If he gets more comfortable working deep and begins to locate his curveball better, it’s game over!

Kota Tatsu has arrived! The 2021 first-rounder has a 1.14 ERA with a 25.3% strikeout rate and 3.9% walk rate in seven NPB starts this season. The key to his immediate success has been his mid-80s splitter, which he’s thrown nearly 40% of the time. It’s delivered a 61% ground ball rate and held opponents to a .158 wOBA. One concern going forward is his four-seamer, which has a very poor 7.6% whiff rate and indicates potential regression. But Chihiro Kaneko and the Fighters’ pitching-savvy coaching staff can be trusted to tweak its shape or have him rely more on a cutter.

Takato Ihara is the CL Rookie of the Year frontrunner. The corporate ball product has had no problem adjusting to NPB with a 1.26 ERA (215 ERA+) and solid 18.6 K% in 71 2/3 innings so far. He hides the ball well with a deceptive, short-arm delivery and keeps hitters off balance with a deep seven-pitch mix. He’s carving up lefties with a healthy dose of cutters and sliders while he takes a kitchen-sink approach against righties. He’s due for some regression (68 FIP vs. 93 xFIP), but for now, he’s doing a fantastic job of limiting damage.

Takahisa Hayakawa is struggling. He’s allowed 15 hits and 14 runs over his last two starts, bringing his season ERA+ to a paltry 72. The swing-and-miss stuff is still mostly there, but his 33.3% ground ball rate leaves him highly home run prone with little room for error. He may also be somewhat injured, as his fastball has been down a tick.

Yuto Nakamura made his NPB debut on June 22 and picked up his first win on July 3. He posted a solid 18.5% K-BB rate over eight farm games before getting the call-up. The top prospect’s command has been a bit all over the place so far, but his stuff will clearly play. He’s keeping things very simple, relying on fastballs and sliders nearly 85% of the time and mixing in the splitter later in counts.

Key Injuries (relative rank if healthy)

Shunpeita Yamashita – Back (1-10)
Expected to begin rehab this month

Haruto Takahashi – Arm (10-20)
Currently rehabbing on farm

Ruei Yang Gu Lin – Oblique (10-20)
Out until August after being injured on June 3 start

Carter Stewart Jr. – Abdomen (25-35)
Yet to debut in 2025, possibly returning in August

Keiji Takahashi – Lower Body (25-35)
Returned from an upper body injury, made four starts but was injured again this week

Kodai Umetsu – Unspecified (30-40)
Resumed throwing last month

Kosei Shoji – Unspecified (30-40)
Felt discomfort before scheduled start on June 7

Yuya Yanagi – Shoulder (40-50)
Currently rehabbing on farm

Yuji Nishino – Forearm (60-70)
Hasn’t pitched since June 11

Prospects Coming Soon (Currently on Farm)

Yugo Maeda – Age 19, 296 ERA+ in 58.2 IP (22.0 K-BB%), NPB ready

Yi-Lei Sun – Age 20, 209 ERA+ in 32.2 IP (20.0 K-BB%), NPB ready

Hayato Tsunehiro – Age 23, 76 ERA+ in 69.1 IP (5.1 K-BB%), not NPB ready

Ren Fukushima – Age 22, 120 ERA+ in 56.1 IP% (8.9 K-BB%), not NPB ready

Yuta Matsukihira – Age 22, 72 ERA+ in 43.2 IP (7.9 K-BB%), not NPB ready

Kyosuke Saito – Age 20, 62 ERA+ in 48.1 IP (3.3 K-BB%), not NPB ready

Naruki Teranishi – Age 22, 94 ERA+ in 62.2 IP (10.0 K-BB%), not NPB ready

Hibiki Shinohara – Age 18, 151 ERA+ in 52.1 IP (15.8 K-BB%), not NPB ready

Here are 82 pitchers who have made at least two NPB starts in the past 30 days and/or currently hold a rotation spot, ranked. The change column indicates their movement from the previous list made on May 30.