There have only been a total of 54 Japanese born players to play in the MLB. In 2016 Kenta Maeda will join that list, read about his contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Of those 54 players only a handful have been notable, but their impacts are noticeable. There is still plenty of talent in the Nippon League to come to the MLB, the following is a ranked list of those who already have:

10.  Kosuke Fukedome (2008-2012)

Fukudome started his career in the MLB with the Chicago Cubs in 2008 at the age of 31. In his first season he performed at about league average with a .257/.359/.379 slashline and would earn himself an All-Star Game selection. He would continue that average level of success throughout the rest of his career, posting a total WAR of 4.3 and an average WAR of 0.9 per season. 

9. Takashi Saito (2006-2012)

Saito started his career at the age of 36 with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2006. He would find his way onto the 2007 All-Star team with a very impressive 1.40 ERA over 64.1 innings pitched. He would finish his seven year career with a 2.34 ERA. He accumulated a total WAR of 10.5 for his career and an average WAR of 1.5 per season.

8. Koji Uehara (2009-Present)

Uehara has played with the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers and made notable impacts with both of those teams, but his MLB career started with the Baltimore Orioles in 2009 at the age of 34. His first season in the MLB is not what the Orioles expected, posting a 4.05 ERA as a starter. When he made the transition to the bullpen, Uehara found success, posting a 2.08 ERA over the six seasons since making the transition. In 2013 he played a major part on the Red Sox's World Series victory and would earn himself a spot on the 2014 All-Star team. Arguably the best Japanese reliever Uehara has a 12.9 WAR over his career and a average WAR of 1.8 per season. 

7. Hideo Nomo (1995-2008)

Being just the second Japanese born player, Nomo had a great start to his career in the MLB with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995, earning himself the Rookie of the Year Award at the age of 26. He followed up his impressive debut season with another great year, finishing fourth in Cy Young Award voting. Unfortunately, Nomo would not find much success until 2002. Having posted a 4.57 ERA from 1997-2001 for five different teams, Nomo returned to the Dodgers in 2002 with a 3.39 ERA and a 3.09 ERA in 2003. Although, that would be about all the success he would have for the rest of his career. Nomo had a career WAR of 21.8, good for an average of 1.8 per season. 

6. Nori Aoki (2012-Present)

Aoki plays a style of baseball that is common in Japan. He often hits opposite field for singles and gets on base via ground balls through the infield. Despite his style of play, Aoki has been very consistent with his average being between .285 and .288 and his on base percentage being between .349 and .356 over each of the four seasons in his career. Aoki has never been selected to an All-Star team nor has he won any notable awards. Since his debut season with the Milwaukee Brewers at the of age 30 he has accumulated a WAR of 8.7, good for an average WAR of 2.2 per season. Aoki recently signed a deal to play with the Seattle Mariners.

5. Yu Darvish (2012-Present)

The Texas Rangers outbid everyone in the 2011 off season to get the rights to negotiate with Darvish. Darvish made his debut in the MLB at the age of 25 and has been able to make the All-Star team three seasons in a row. in 2013 he struck out a league leading 277 batters, but has struggled to stay healthy since then. Darvish missed the entire 2015 season and only made 22 starts in 2014. Over his short career in the MLB he has been able to maintain a 4.3 WAR per season, 12.8 over the course of his career. 

4. Hisashi Iwakuma (2012-Present)

Often overlooked in the shadow of Felix Hernandez, Iwakuma has performed very well for the Seattle Mariners. Coming into the league at the age of 31 years old Iwakuma has since posted an ERA of 3.17 over the course of four seasons. In 2013 he earned himself an All-Star team selection and finished third in Cy Young Award voting. Over the course of his career Iwakuma had accumulated a WAR of 13.9 and a WAR of 3.5 per season. 

3. Hideki Matsui (2003-2012)

Providing the most power out of all the players to come to the MLB from the Nippon League, Matsui made his presence known for the New York Yankees. Matsui earned his spot on two All-Star teams and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2004. Eventually making his way into a role as an every day designated hitter, Matsui played a very important role in the Yankees' 2009 World Series victory. He would finish his career out by playing one season with each the Angels, Athletics, and Rays. With a career OPS+ of 118 and a WAR of 21.3 Matsui is one of the best hitting players to make the transition from the Nippon League. 

2. Hiroki Kuroda (2008-2014)

Kuroda started his career in the MLB with the Los Angeles Dodgers when he was 33 years old. The most interesting thing about his career is he performed better in the MLB than he did in the Nippon League. Over the course of his seven year career in the MLB he pitched to a 3.45 ERA, better than the 3.59 ERA produced in Japan. Kuroda also pitched with much consistently in his career. Although he may not have been flashy or dominating he stayed healthy and got outs. He finished his career with a total WAR of 21.7 and an average WAR of 3.1 per season. 

1. Ichiro Suzuki (2001-Present) 

Ichiro is just 65 hits away from his 3000th hit. His Hall of Fame worthy career is by far the best of any player to make the transition from the Nippon League. Starting his career off with the Seattle Mariners Ichiro has been able to add both the MVP and the Rookie of the Year Award in 2001. Since then he has been selected to ten All-Star Games and earned ten Gold Glove Awards. With a career WAR of 58.4 no other Japanese player has even come close to his level of success. In 2016 we will all be watching for his milestone hit, but one could only imagine what he could have achieved if he played his whole career in the MLB.  

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About the author
Kevin Hayes
My open minded view on the world and life gives me opportunities to think about new ideas and develop my own conclusions. My background in statistics, economics, and mathematics has allowed me to observe the sports I love in a unique way.