The 2023 regular season is approaching its final stages in the NPB. Heres the latest on the players weve been keeping track of at MLBTR. If you need a refresher on more specific player profiles, check out the of the series. Lets get to it! (Stats are as of September 13th) Players likely available in the 2023 offseason (most rumored or have publicly announced desire to play in MLB) 1. , Orix Buffaloes Yamamoto continues to show us why hes undoubtedly the best pitcher in NPB. The 25-year-old right-hander just to sed his second career no-hitter against the Chiba Lotte Marines this past weekend, in front of scouts/executives of 12 MLB ball clubs, including Yankees GM Brian Cashman. It feels like a long time ago when I wrote that Yamamoto was having a slow start to the season by his standards, with a 2.35 ERA in his first 38 innings. Yamamoto has shifted into a different gear since May. Yamamoto hasnt given up an earned run in six consecutive starts, since the beginning of August. Hes currently on a 42-inning streak without an earned run allowed. In his 20 starts in 2023, the Orix Buffaloes ace has a 1.26 ERA, striking out 26.2% of hitters and walking just 4.3%, and a 1 D.J. Augustin Jersey .86 FIP in 143 frames. That 1.26 ERA is good enough for the lowest ERA in NPB since s 1.27 ERA in 2011. Yamamoto is once again on pace to claim the Pacific League pitching triple crown (ERA, strikeouts, wins). At age 25, Yamamoto is showing no signs of slowing down and continues to evolve. He notably tweaked his delivery last offseason to more of a slide-step style. Despite the slow start, its safe to say that the change has paid off, as Yamamoto has raised his average fastball velocity to 95.56 mph (152.9 km/h) compared to 94.9 mph (151.9 km/h) in 2022. In addition to his consistency, strikeout stuff, and ability to pitch deep into games, another development in Yamamotos game is his ability to keep the ball in the park. Yamamoto has allowed just two homers all season (he gave up between six and eight homers per season since his first full season as a starting pitcher in 2019). 2. , Yokohama DeNA Baystars It was reported last week that the Yokohama DeNA Baystars lefty will be posted this off-season, as many in Japan predicted last off-season. The 30-year-old southpaw had his best month in July but got roughed up in August with a 5.27 ERA. He had a bounce-back outing earlier today against the Chunichi Dragons, to sing eight innings of one-run ball and striking out eleven, with the sole run coming from a solo homer. His season numbers are still strong, with a 2.71 ERA, 29.96% strikeout rate, and 3.9% walk rate in his 20 starts. Although his ERA is not as good as 2022 (2.26), Imanagas strikeout rate at 29.9% is a career-best. The Baystars ace notably increased his average fastball velocity in the past few seasons. It now sits around 92.2mph (147.5 km/h), compared to 90.8 mph (145.3km/h) in 2021. While Imanagas arm is not overpowering, the combination of his command and strikeout stuff allows him to rack up strikeouts. 3. , Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles The 27-year-old left-handed closer for the Eagles continues to be one of the best relievers in NPB. Despite his young age and being converted to a starter on a few occasions during his career, Matsui is one of the most accomplished closers in the history of NPB. The southpaw became the ninth NPB pitcher in history to reach 200 career saves and was the youngest player to ever reach that mark. On the season, he has the second most saves in NPB with 33. Hes been nothing but reliable, with strong numbers to back it up; posting a 1.55 ERA, 33.7% strikeout rate, and 5.1% walk rate in 49 appearances. Matsui officially earned his overseas free agent rights earlier in the year, giving him the ability to sign with an MLB team without going through the posting system. The Eagles southpaw still hasnt made clear what his plans are beyond 2023. As I wrote in the first edition of the series, Matsuis struggle to adapt to the WBC ball, which is closer to the MLB ball, may play a role in his MLB evaluation. If MLB offers arent enticing enough, he may very well choose to stay in NPB and attempt to break the NPB save record. 4. , Saitama Seibu Lions Takahashi continues to prove that his career-best season in 2022 was not a fluke, posting a strong 2.31 ERA in 22 starts, the eighth highest among qualified starters in the entire NPB. Hes fanned hitters at an 18.8% rate and walking hitters at a 7.7% rate. The 27-year-old righty mi sed a few starts in August because of an illne s. He struggled in the first two starts after his return, clearly still regaining his health and conditioning. He bounced back and to sed six shutout innings this past weekend, . He continues to make improvements and his average fastball velocity has improved dramatically since he entered the league, which should make him more intriguing to MLB teams. Takahashi made his MLB aspirations clear last offseason, but its unclear if hell be posted by the Lions. 5. , Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters Naoyuki Uwasawa has had himself another solid season for the Fighters, posting a 2.84 ERA, with an 18.1% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate in 158 innings, the most innings pitched in all of NPB. reported that scouts from the Angels, Royals, Rangers, Diamondbacks, Reds, and Cubs attended his September 2nd, so MLB teams are keeping tabs on the 29-year-old right-hander. Unfortunately, there may be a -sized cloud hanging over Uwasawas MLB dreams. Uwasawa doesnt have an overpowering arm with his average fastball velocity sitting around 90.8 mph. He also does not boast strikeout stuff, while not having the same command that Arihara had when he was coming to MLB (although Arihara himself was wild during his Rangers tenure). Younger stars to keep an eye on 1. , Chiba Lotte Marines Sasaki was on pace for a historic season rivaling Yamamotos, before he was diagnosed with a left oblique muscle tear which sidelined him at the end of July. The 6-foot-4 hurler was expected to mi s the remainder of the 2023 regular season, but made a surprisingly quick recovery and returned over the weekend. Sasaki was limited to three innings since he skipped a rehab start, but still showcased his lively arm, with his signature fastball sitting between 98mph and 100mph. The Marines will likely not overextend their star right-hander, so he will be carefully managed for the remainder of the season. On the season, Sasaki has a 1.53 ERA, an unbelievable 40% strikeout rate, a 4.8% walk rate and 88 innings in his 14 starts. There is no doubt about Sasakis talent and natural frame at 64 and 203 pounds. The only thing Sasaki has left to prove is his durability, and showcasing that he can pitch multiple full seasons. There is plenty of time for him to prove that, since hell likely be posted in the 2026 offseason at the earliest, barring any surprise requests. 2. , Tokyo Yakult Swallows Murakami has shrugged off most concerns and has re-established himself as one of the premier power hitters in NPB. Although he has had, by his standards, the statistically worst season since his rookie season in 2019, Murakami is still slashing a solid .253/.372/.497 with 28 homers, 77 RBIs, and a .869 OPS. Murakami did addre s his early season slump in an , where he said he lost his way a little bit while training with the other Japanese stars in the lead-up to the WBC. He said that he got distracted trying to incorporate the training regimen of players like , , and and did not addre s his swing as much as he should have. While he does have a great walk rate at 18.1%, Murakami is still striking out at an alarming 34.5% rate. He also struggles to hit righties, hitting just .209 against them. He still needs to make improvements with his defense at third base, as he has an NPB-worst 20 errors. This season is obviously far from Murakamis best, but a down year may allow him to come back even stronger next season. Murakami signed a three-year deal last offseason that came with a reported guarantee that he will be posted in the 2025-2026 offseason. 3. , Yomiuri Giants Okamotos name came up in headlines last week, after it was that he was on the radar of several MLB teams. Okamoto is in the midst of a career-year, with a slash line of .293/.386/.611 with 90 RBIs and an NPB-leading 38 homers and .997 OPS. He has an 18.9% strikeout rate and a 12.2% walk rate. He was unstoppable in August, slashing .318/.422/.812, blasting 12 homers and driving in 25 runs. Okamoto has hinted at interest in a potential MLB move, but he isnt set to be a free agent until the 2026-2027 offseason. The 61, 220-pound slugger is a career .275 hitter with 182 homers, hitting at least 30 homers in every season since becoming a full-time starter in 2018. The Giants slugger has hit 30 homers for six consecutive seasons, which speaks to his durability and consistency. The Giants are traditionally against the posting system. The only two players they allowed to be posted were and , and both were unique situations. Yamaguchi was given permi sion because he made it a part of his free agency deal when signing for the Giants from the Baystars in 2016. Sugano was given special permi sion to enter the posting system, because he refused to join the Nippon Ham Fighters when he was originally drafted in 2011 and he held out for an entire season before being drafted by the Giants in 2012 (and his uncle is Giants manager Tatsunori Hara, which may have played a role). As expected, the ball club has denied any conversations regarding Okamotos potential move, with executive Atsunori Otsuka saying Weve heard he has MLB aspirations, but weve never had direct discu sion with him about that. We typically dont accept posting, and want our players to earn their overseas rights. It was the same with Hideki Matsui. Honorable Mentions The following players have either expre sed their desire to play in the big leagues, been rumored by Japanese media, or have drawn interest from MLB scouts but have factors (age, team stance on posting system) preventing a potential move. Other NPB top performers are also on the list. , right-handed starting pitcher, Yomiuri Giants; , right-handed reliever, Yomiuri Giants; , right-handed starting pitcher, Chunichi Dragons; , right-handed starting pitcher, Saitama Seibu Lions; , right-handed reliever, Hanshin Tigers; , left-handed starting pitcher, Chunichi Dragons; , Orix Buffaloes; , right-handed starter, Chiba Lotte Marines. , left-handed reliever, Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. , right-handed reliever, Chunichi Dragons. (Moinelo and Martinez will have to defect their homeland, Cuba, to join MLB) Khris Middleton Jersey