Japan and MLB: A Sign of Changes to Come
Willem Akien
Staff Writer
The Major League Baseball’s (MLB) 2025 Tokyo Series was a smashing success by all metrics. Thousands in person and millions online watched the four exhibition games and two season-openers. The historic event, occurring from March 15 to March 19, is characteristic of the changing demographics both on and off the diamond.
Before the season opener, the LA Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs faced the Nippon Professional Baseball’s (NPB) Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers. In an impressive display of skill, finesse, and patience, the Hanshin Tigers shut out both the Dodgers and the Cubs 3-0, ESPN reports. Viewers have previously witnessed the prowess of Japanese talent in other major events such as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2023 World Baseball Classic. However, this is one of the first times that NPB teams have participated in an international event with MLB, let alone its largest. The stellar performances have reminded American viewers that the Japanese players of the NPB are up to par with some of MLB’s best in terms of talent.
The Series has shown MLB and its teams that Japan wants more baseball. According to the MLB, an average of 24 million viewers tuned in between the first two games, making it the most viewed MLB series in Japan. The league also sold 320 percent more merchandise than the former record-holder, the 2024 London Series, in sales. Over 450,000 fans went to the Fan Fest event over the course of 12 days, also a new record for attendance at a fan festival. Now more than ever is the time for MLB and its teams to invest in the Japanese market and capitalize on the high demand.
It is no secret that Shohei Ohtani is the face of MLB right now, especially in Japan. In 2025, the unanimous most valuable player (MVP) is expected to earn $100 million in endorsement deals, beating all other players by a landslide, shares Sportico. MLB reports that Ohtani’s reputation has landed him deals with many Japanese and American companies, giving him the ability to delay $680 million of the $700 million promised in his contract to 2034. This selfless decision helped the Dodgers win the 2024 World Series as well as giving the team a lot of additional cap space to sign players like Blake Snell, Teoscar Hernández, and the newest addition, Roki Sasaki, one of the top pitchers from the NPB in 2024. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, another star-studded pitcher from the NPB, also helped the Dodgers win the 2024 World Series. The popularity, success, and money that these Japan-born players have brought and will likely continue to bring the Dodgers will encourage scouts on other teams to pay more attention to Japanese talent.
Japanese players are even bringing themselves to America before joining the NPB, marking a distinct shift in the conventional path for talented high school players out of Japan. Doing so allows them to skip the nine years of professional experience required for an international free agency as well as the challenges that come with getting recruited from the NPB’s posting system. Young star Rintaro Sasaki, who attended the same high school as Shohei Ohtani, moved across the pond to play first base at Stanford University, writes NBC Los Angeles. He is eligible for MLB draft in 2026. NBC Los Angeles also explains that Shotaro Morii, another noteworthy talent, signed a minor league contract to play with the Athletics in California. This precedent that has been set will likely encourage more Japanese prospects to bypass the NPB altogether and begin making a name for themselves in the States through the minor leagues and college tournaments.
Because of the increased demand from the Japanese markets, the talented prospects that have been taking the league by storm, and the changing pattern for the career paths of Japanese players, it is reasonable to expect more international talent making their way to the league in the near future. MLB’s Commissioner Rob Manfred expresses a desire to expand to 32 teams in the coming years to bring even more talent to the league, explains ESPN. Big names rumored to be joining the major leagues soon include Japan’s most notable slugger, Munetaka Murakami, who broke Sadaharu Oh’s record by one for the most home runs hit in a single NPB season with 56. He is expected to be posted to the NPB’s posting system in 2026 according to MLB. MLB also shares that Kazuma Okamoto, who hit the game-sealing home run against the USA in the WBC in 2023, is also on scouts’ radars.
Image courtesy of Getty Images.