Examines from multiple angles the value that utility players capable of covering multiple positions bring to NPB teams, drawing on WAR and games played data and on case studies of specific players including Yamato, Kosuke Tanaka, and Seiya Kinami.
Just as humans have a "dominant hand," they also have a "dominant eye". One theory holds that when a right-eye-dominant batter stands in the left-handed batter's box, the dominant eye ends up on the pitcher's side, making the ball easier to see. Is the large number of left-handed hitters in NPB related to the dominant eye? From the perspective of sports vision, we explore the little-known relationship between hitting and eyesight.
A professional baseball game lasts about three hours. But if you measure the "time when play is actually moving," from the moment the pitcher starts the delivery until the batted ball has been handled, it is surprisingly short. What is the rest of the time used for? This article uses numbers to expose what baseball's "ma" (pause) really is.
Some pitchers take the mound in games where their team trails by 7 or 8 runs. This role, called "mop-up duty," does not lead directly to wins, yet it is indispensable for running a team. Why are mop-up pitchers necessary? What goes through their minds as they pitch? This article looks at the reality of the most grueling position in the bullpen.
A pro baseball game lasts about 3 hours. During that time, outfielders actually handle batted balls surprisingly few times. Left and right fielders in particular sometimes get only a handful of chances to touch a batted ball in a single game. We examine with numbers what the most idle position is really like.
When you look down on a professional baseball game from above, you notice that the "time spent facing left" by the players is overwhelmingly long. Right-handed batters take their stance facing left, runners run counterclockwise, and the fielding side also often faces left depending on the direction of the batted ball. Baseball is a "left-facing sport".
A soccer player runs about 10 to 13 km in one game. So what about a pro baseball player? The answer is surprisingly little. But there are large differences by position, and the gap between the players who run the most and those who run the least is wider than you might imagine. Using distance data, we rethink what "running" means in baseball.
The condition for a winning pitcher is that "the starting pitcher must pitch 5 innings or more." This rule, however, is an absurd system that hands out wins regardless of how much a pitcher actually contributed. A pitcher can become the winning pitcher even after allowing 10 runs in 5 innings, while one who holds the opponent scoreless for 4 2/3 innings cannot. This article examines that contradiction.
Of the 45 managers the 12 NPB clubs appointed over the 12 years from October 2014, 15 started on three-year contracts, the most common length. Yet some clubs renew one-year deals every year and others disclose nothing, and 9 managers have left mid-contract or mid-season since 2018.
NPB once celebrated pinch-hit specialists as clutch heroes. Players like Takai Yasuhiro and Hiyama Shinjiro built careers around a single at-bat. Today, the pure pinch-hitter has all but vanished, replaced by utility players and bullpen-heavy rosters.
NPB's Golden Glove Award since 1972, honoring defensive excellence from Tsuyoshi Shinjo's 10 wins to Ryosuke Kikuchi's acrobatic second base play.
Analyzes how NPB hitter and pitcher performance changes with age using WAR and OPS data, examining peak ages by position and common traits among long-career players.
Stolen-base totals alone cannot capture the full value of baserunning.
Examining batting title races - down-to-the-wire batting average battles in depth, covering why the batting title holds a special place in npb through trends..
A comprehensive look at defensive metrics evolution - uzr and drs in npb, from the turning point - limitations of fielding percentage to tracking technology ..
Tracing the story of hawks dynasty analysis - structure of softbank's golden era, from overview of the softbank dynasty to end of the dynasty and lessons.
How MLB's fly ball revolution reshaped NPB hitting, analyzed through launch angle trends, home run and strikeout data, and case studies of players like Yuki Yanagita.
On April 8, 2026, the Chiba Lotte Marines fell below .500 in their all-time record for the first time since their founding in 1950. This leaves the Hanshin Tigers as the only team among all 21 NPB franchises, including defunct ones, to have never had a losing career record.
NPB's 200-win club: 24 members from Kaneda's 400 wins to Yamamoto Masa's 219, and why reaching 200 wins has become nearly impossible in modern baseball.
Analyzes strategic roster management in NPB, examining disabled list system evolution, tactical registration manipulation, and psychological impacts on players.
Only about half of NPB first-round draft picks become first-team regulars. This article analyzes the structural factors behind draft busts, from scouting limitations to development failures.
Examines the structural advantages of left-handed batters in NPB through data analysis, covering distance to first base, pitcher handedness ratios, and stadium asymmetry.
NPB's Rookie of the Year award since 1950: the lineage from Nagashima through Nomo to Matsuzaka, selection criteria, and whether the 'Rookie of the Year curse' is real.
Platoon splits, where batters perform better against opposite-handed pitchers, shape NPB lineup construction. This analyzes long-term trends and tactical evolution in platoon usage.
Analyzing the tactical dimensions of rain delays in NPB, from pitching change decisions and body temperature management to historic games transformed by weather interruptions.
An in-depth analysis of relief pitcher workload - overuse and injury correlation, exploring the scope of relief pitcher overuse and future outlook.
NPB once featured numerous switch hitters including Kazuo Matsui. Their numbers have plummeted in recent years. This article examines the structural factors behind the decline through data and developmental changes.
NPB's 12-inning tie rule produces roughly 1 to 8 ties per team in a normal season, and more than 20 for some teams in years when extra innings were shortened or suspended. Tied games look random at first glance, but breaking down each franchise's tie rate and tied-game profile reveals patterns in late-inning bullpen management, pinch-hitting, and bench philosophy. We analyze NPB's bench culture through the lens of tied games.
Left-handed pitchers and batters are common. Left-handed catchers are virtually nonexistent in both NPB and MLB. Why is catching the one position reserved exclusively for right-handers?
An in-depth analysis of win probability added - clutch players through wpa in npb, exploring what is wpa (win probability added)? and practical applications ..
Counting the official NPB free-agent announcements for the 2016 to 2025 offseasons, the Yomiuri Giants signed the most free agents from other clubs, 11, while losing none to other NPB clubs. This ranking lines up free-agent signings, losses and MLB returnees for all 12 teams, with names, and sets them against pennants won.
Tokyo Dome has been mockingly called 'Karakuri Dome' (Trick Dome) and criticized as a home run-friendly park that favors the Yomiuri.
NPB drafts consistently overvalue left-handed pitchers relative to performance. This article uses data to explain the structural reasons behind the left-handed pitcher premium.
Examines pitch framing in NPB through data analysis, measuring how catchers' mitt manipulation influences umpire calls and the adoption of framing metrics.
The 'Triple Three' (.300/30 HR/30 SB) is one of NPB's rarest achievements, highlighted by Yuki Yanagita and Tetsuto Yamada's simultaneous accomplishment in 2015.
A .300 batting average marks an elite hitter. But .300 means failing 7 out of 10 times. No other sport calls someone who fails 70% of the time a genius. Why is baseball built on such an extraordinary tolerance for failure?
How often does an inning end with three batters retired in order? The frequency of 'nothing happening' reveals the hidden structure of baseball's rhythm between action and stillness.
Examining catcher value in npb - why the fan's pivot controls the game in depth, covering the fan's pivot through modern catcher profile.
The art of pinch-hitting in NPB: Yasuhiro Takai's world-record 27 pinch-hit home runs, 'God of Pinch-Hitting' Hiroshi Yagi, tactical differences created by the DH rule, and the mental fortitude one at-bat demands.