Ranking the best rookie seasons by Japanese-born players

In the wake of Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki announcing he'll be signing with the Dodgers, the baseball world will anticipate with excitement the arrival of the star right-hander in the Major Leagues.

Given what we know about Sasaki's arsenal, he could immediately make a big impact.

Sasaki wouldn’t be the first Japanese player to make the jump from Nippon Professional Baseball to MLB and put together a strong rookie campaign. Here’s a look at the 12 best rookie seasons by a Japanese-born player:

1. Ichiro Suzuki, 2001
Ichiro’s rookie campaign wasn’t just sensational, it was historic. In his first MLB season following nine with NPB's Orix Blue Wave, he led the American League by hitting .350 while racking up an MLB-leading 242 hits and posting an .838 OPS.

He also stole a Major League-best 56 bases and was named an All-Star starter in the 72nd Midsummer Classic, held at his home ballpark in Seattle. Ichiro would make the All-Star team in each of the next nine years.

• Will Ichiro be a unanimous Hall of Famer?

In right field, Ichiro’s defensive brilliance earned him the first of 10 consecutive Gold Glove Awards. For his incredible all-around debut season, he became the second player in MLB history to win a Rookie of the Year Award and an MVP Award in the same year (also Fred Lynn, AL, 1975).

2. Shohei Ohtani, 2018
Ohtani’s highly anticipated Major League debut as a two-way player didn’t disappoint. After five seasons in NPB with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, he lived up to the hype by smashing 22 home runs with a .925 OPS at the plate while posting a 3.31 ERA with a 30% strikeout rate over 10 starts on the mound for the Angels.

In the process, Ohtani made history at every turn. He became the only player other than Babe Ruth (1919) to hit at least 20 home runs and win at least four games as a pitcher. Ohtani became the only player in Major League history to hit at least 20 home runs while also stealing at least 10 bases and making at least 10 starts on the mound. It all added up to an AL Rookie of the Year Award.

That amazing rookie year was just the beginning. Since then, he’s won three MVP Awards -- all unanimous -- and in 2024, he became the first player to hit at least 50 home runs (54) and steal at least 50 bases (59) in the same season.

3. Hideo Nomo, 1995
Nicknamed “The Tornado” for his whirlwind of a windup, Nomo took the baseball world by storm upon making his MLB debut in 1995 after five seasons with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes. Following an uneven first three starts, the right-hander struck out 14 Pirates at Dodger Stadium over seven scoreless innings on May 17.

It was the start of a 16-start span over which he posted a 1.54 ERA with 149 strikeouts in 122 2/3 innings. That included a 16-strikeout gem on June 14 at Pittsburgh, as well as a four-outing stretch from June 24-July 15 in which he yielded two runs and struck out 46. He was named the starting pitcher for the All-Star Game in Texas and was voted the NL Rookie of the Year.

In 1996, Nomo threw what is still the only no-hitter at the notoriously hitter-friendly Coors Field, finishing that season with a 3.19 ERA and a fourth-place finish in NL Cy Young Award voting. While he wasn’t able to consistently replicate his early success, he pitched for 10 more seasons in the Majors with the Dodgers, Mets, Brewers, Tigers, Red Sox, Rays and Royals, throwing a second no-hitter with Boston in 2001.

4. Kodai Senga, 2023
Senga spent 11 seasons pitching for NPB’s Fukuoka Softbank Hawks before signing with the Mets and making the transition to MLB in 2023. It quickly became apparent why there was such hype surrounding the right-hander.

Over 29 starts, Senga pitched to a 2.98 ERA and struck out 202 batters over 166 1/3 innings, thanks in large part to his signature “ghost fork,” a forkball that was nearly unhittable. Opposing batters hit just .110 against the pitch that year, and Senga induced opponents to swing and miss on an incredible 59.2% of his forkballs.

Senga’s great performance in his rookie campaign led to an All-Star selection, a runner-up finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting and a seventh-place finish in NL Cy Young Award voting.

5. Shota Imanaga, 2024
While the headlines were primarily about fellow Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto prior to the 2024 campaign, it was Imanaga who ended up producing a better season (though Yamamoto, who was hurt for much of his first season with the Dodgers, was still very good over 18 starts).

Prior to signing with the Cubs, Imanaga pitched eight seasons for the Yokohama Bay Stars in Japan, over which he had a 3.18 ERA and 1.12 WHIP.

Over 29 starts in his debut season in the Majors, Imanaga posted a 2.91 ERA and led the NL with a 6.2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His four-seam fastball/split finger combination baffled opposing hitters, and with a walk rate of 4% (97th percentile among qualified pitchers) and the ability to generate whiffs outside the strike zone (his 34.8% chase rate also ranked him in the 97th percentile), he was one of the most dominant southpaws in the game.

For his stellar performance, Imanaga was named an All-Star, finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year Award voting and fifth in NL Cy Young Award voting.

6. Masahiro Tanaka, 2014
Tanaka began his pro baseball career with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of NPB, for whom he pitched seven seasons. Prior to the 2014 season, he was signed by the Yankees to a seven-year, $155 million deal -- to that point the largest contract for a player moving from NPB to MLB.

While some in the baseball world might have viewed that price with sticker shock, Tanaka immediately showed why he was worth the investment. In his debut season in the Majors, the 25-year-old right-hander made 20 starts over which he had a 2.77 ERA and a 6.7 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He was selected as an All-Star and finished fifth in AL Rookie of the Year voting.

Over the next six seasons with New York, Tanaka posted a 3.88 ERA and garnered another All-Star selection. In 10 career postseason starts, he pitched to a 3.33 ERA. Following the 2020 campaign, Tanaka returned to Japan and the Golden Eagles, for whom he has been pitching since.

7. Hideki Matsui, 2003
When Matsui signed with the Yankees prior to the 2003 season, he already had three NPB MVP Awards to his name, 332 career home runs over 10 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants, and a nickname befitting such a superstar slugger: “Godzilla.”

Matsui made an immediate impression on Yankees fans -- not to mention the entire baseball world -- when he launched a grand slam in his first game at Yankee Stadium. He went on to drive in 106 runs for the Yanks to go along with a .788 OPS and 16 home runs in 2003.

He then became the first Japanese player to homer in a World Series game, going deep against the Marlins in Game 2 of that year’s Fall Classic against the Marlins at Yankee Stadium. When it was all said and done, Matsui finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting after earning an All-Star selection that summer.

Matsui became a staple in New York’s lineup over the next several years, and in 2009, he helped lead the Yankees to a World Series title -- he was named MVP of the series after batting .615 with three home runs and eight RBIs, six of which came in the decisive Game 6 victory over the Phillies.

8. Yu Darvish, 2012
Debuting with the Nippon Ham Fighters at just 18 years old in 2005, Darvish swiftly became the best pitcher in NPB. He posted an ERA below 2.00 in each season from 2007-11, and then made the jump to MLB. He signed a six-year deal with the two-time defending AL champion Rangers prior to the 2012 campaign.

Still just 25 years old when he debuted in the Majors, Darvish pitched to a 3.90 ERA over 29 starts for Texas in 2012. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound right-hander was an All-Star in that first Major League season before finishing third in AL Rookie of the Year voting and ninth in Cy Young Award voting.

The next season, Darvish was simply overpowering, leading the Majors with 277 strikeouts while posting a 2.83 ERA before placing second in AL Cy Young Award voting. Now a five-time All-Star, Darvish owns a career 3.58 ERA with a 29% strikeout rate.

9. Takashi Saito, 2006
Saito was quite the veteran when he made the transition from NPB to MLB, pitching 13 seasons for the Yokohama Bay Stars. Upon signing with the Dodgers and making his debut in the Major Leagues at age 36, he became one of the best relievers in the game during a tremendous 2006 rookie campaign.

In 72 appearances out of the bullpen, Saito had a 2.07 ERA with 24 saves for Los Angeles, receiving both NL Rookie of the Year (finished seventh) and Cy Young (eighth) votes. That was a precursor to an even better performance in 2007, when the right-hander turned in a 1.40 ERA and 39 saves in an All-Star season.

Saito spent one more season with the Dodgers after that, and then one season apiece with the Red Sox, Braves, Brewers and D-backs. He finished with a 2.34 ERA and a 29% strikeout rate for his career.

10. Daisuke Matsuzaka, 2007
Matsuzaka, who would come to be known as “Dice-K,” pitched for the Seibu Lions in Japan for eight seasons before making the move to the Major Leagues in 2007. While his career numbers aren’t as impressive as those of other pitchers on this list, his rookie season was impactful for the Red Sox, who ended up winning the World Series that year.

In his MLB debut against the Royals, Matsuzaka was brilliant, giving up just one run over seven innings with 10 strikeouts. Overall, he made 32 starts (204 2/3 innings) as a rookie, posting a 4.40 ERA (108 ERA+) with 201 strikeouts. In Game 7 of the ALCS against Cleveland, he yielded two runs over five innings in a pennant-clinching victory. Then, in Game 3 of the World Series, he again surrendered just two runs, this time over 5 1/3 innings against the Rockies at hitter-friendly Coors Field.

Matsuzaka finished fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting, and the next season would be the best of his career. In 2008, he finished with a 2.90 ERA over 29 starts to finish fourth in AL Cy Young Award voting. He pitched for six more seasons in MLB (four more with Boston and two with the Mets), posting a 5.10 ERA in that span.

11. Kazuhiro Sasaki, 2000
Sasaki was a 10-year veteran with the Yokohama Bay Stars when he signed with the Mariners prior to the 2000 season. He quickly demonstrated that he could be a great closer in the Majors, saving 37 games for Seattle with a 3.16 ERA to win the AL Rookie of the Year Award. He also made four scoreless appearances and picked up three saves in the postseason.

The next year, Sasaki was a key member of the 2001 Mariners club that won a record 116 games. The right-hander had a 3.24 ERA and 45 saves for Seattle in an All-Star campaign, even garnering some MVP votes. He was an All-Star again in 2002, but after posting a 4.05 ERA in ’03, he returned to Japan and pitched two more seasons for Yokohama.

12. Kenta Maeda, 2016
Following eight seasons with NPB’s Hiroshima Carp, Maeda joined the Dodgers and became a rotation stalwart, making 32 starts as a rookie in 2016. He got off to an incredible start, giving up just one run over his first four starts. He even homered in his MLB debut against the Padres on April 6. Overall, his 3.48 ERA and 1.14 WHIP earned him a third-place finish in that year’s NL Rookie of the Year balloting.

Over the next three seasons with the Dodgers, Maeda posted a 4.03 ERA over 413 1/3 innings as a swingman. He was traded to the Twins prior to the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, in which he was at his best -- over 11 starts, he had a 2.70 ERA and led the Majors with a 0.75 WHIP, finishing runner-up in AL Cy Young Award voting.

Maeda signed a two-year deal with the Tigers as a free agent prior to the 2024 season, but he struggled to a 6.09 ERA in an injury-shortened campaign for Detroit.