He won numerous pitcher titles during his time in NPB and also performed well as a starter in MLB.

On November 26, Tohoku Rakuten Eagles announced a contract agreement with pitcher Kenta Maeda. At his new team press conference on December 17, he stated, "As a player, my greatest motivation is to win. I want to be a player that is considered essential to that goal," and showed off number 18 jersey.

During his nine years with Hiroshima, pitcher Ken Maeda won a total of 97 games, was awarded the most wins and strike out twice, the best ERA three times, the Sawamura Award twice, and the MVP once. He also proved his ability in the MLB with a total of 68 wins over 10 years.

This time, we will look at the annual performance records of pitcher Ken Maeda in both the Japanese and American baseball leagues, and introduce the changes in indicators that occurred between his time in NPB and MLB. We will look back on the footsteps of pitcher Ken Maeda, who quickly adapted to different environments and produced results.

Utilizing his outstanding control, pitch with outstanding stability as a starting ace who pitches complete game games.

The annual indicators pitcher Ken Maeda has recorded so far in NPB are as follows.

In 2008, his second year after graduating from high school, he became a fixture in the starting rotation, and from 2009 onward, he went over 175 innings pitched in seven consecutive years, surpassing 200 inning four times in the six years following 2010 and winning the Sawamura Award in 2010 and 2015, making his mark as a starting complete game type ace.

In addition to his outstanding inning elimination ability, in eight seasons in the NPB, his ERA has never been above the high 3-point range, and in six consecutive years since 2010, his ERA has been below 2.60. His NPB total ERA is also 2.39, a very good starter level, and he has continued to show stability worthy of being a mainstay of the pitcher lineup.

strike out Turning to rates, his career total was not high at 7.35, and he had only two seasons in which his strike out rate was over 8.00, in 2011 and 2013. On the other hand, his BB rate was in the 1-point range six of the seven seasons in which he reached the innings pitched standard, and his career rate was an excellent 1.90.

struck out The "K/BB" index, which indicates pitcher the ability to control the ball by dividing by Walk, is considered excellent if it is 3.50 or higher, but Ken Maeda pitcher exceeded that level in all seven of his seasons in which he reached the innings pitched standard. In particular, his K/BB of 5.07 in 2009, when he recorded a career-best BB rate of 1.35, was outstanding, indicating that he was very complete pitcher as a high school graduate in his third year.

He also had K/BB above 4.00 in 2011 and 2015, and his career K/BB total is an excellent 3.87. These numbers also show that Ken Maeda pitcher in his NPB days has been more of a pitch style that uses his good control to hit hitter out of the ballpark rather than robbing struck out at a high pace, and has produced results.

His WHIP, which is the average of the number of runner allowed by 1 inning, was also excellent, at 1.16 or less in all seven seasons in which he reached the innings pitched rule, and there were also four seasons in which his WHIP was below 1.00. His career average is also very good at 1.05, indicating that he has not had to carry runner much weight in his career.

In MLB, he significantly improved strike out rate, becoming pitcher who is more highly rated in terms of metrics.

Next, let's take a look at the annual indicators pitcher Ken Maeda recorded in MLB.

In his first year in the MLB in 2016, he recorded a career-high 16 wins, followed by 13 wins in 2017 and 10 wins in 2019, achieving double-digit win three times. In the shortened 2020 season of 60 games, he pitched the required innings pitched and recorded ERA of 2.70, finishing second in the Cy Young Award voting that year, demonstrating outstanding performance as a starter on the world's highest stage.

On the other hand, due to the fact that he was often moved to relief role midway through the season while with the Dodgers, his most innings pitched was 175.2 inning in 2016. He only had a season ERA below 3.00 three times in his nine years as a player, and his career MLB ERA was 4.20, meaning he was unable to show the same consistency as he did in NPB against the MLB's hitter.

However, strike out rate was over 9.00 in every season except 2024, and his career average was an excellent 9.62. Maeda never had a season in which he recorded more strike out than innings pitched during his NPB career, so the fact that he significantly improved strike out rate, which is highly valued in the US baseball pitcher, after moving to the US is proof of how quickly he adapted to MLB.

In addition, BB rate was below 2 in seven of his nine seasons, and in 2020 he posted an astonishing 1.35 BB rate. His career average was also an excellent 2.60, showing that he maintained his natural control even in the US.

As a result, his K/BB ratio exceeded 3.50 seven times in nine seasons, and his career total reached an excellent 3.70. In particular, his K/BB ratio in 2020 was an astounding 8.00, and he showed impressive pitch, which is no wonder he finished second in the Cy Young Award voting.

His career WHIP in the MLB was 1.17, which is above a certain level, and it is clear that even in the MLB, good control was directly linked to fewer runner on base. One of the major reasons for Maeda pitcher 's success in the MLB is that he successfully transitioned to pitch style centered on strike out, without losing his original strength of control, and evolved into pitcher who is more highly rated in terms of metrics.

Will he be able to bring back the valuable experience he has gained in Japan and the US to the team and become a game-changer for pitcher staff?

In 2025, he slumped to ERA 7.88 in MLB and struggled in AAA as well in terms of metrics, with a combined ERA 5.40, strike out rate of 7.47, BB rate of 3.51, and K/BB of 2.13 for the two teams. However, since joining the Yankees in August, he has shown a recovery trend with an strike out rate of 8.02, BB rate of 2.95, and K/BB of 2.71. The key next season will be to continue this trend and get closer to his original pitch level.

Ken Maeda pitcher, who emerged in the NPB at a young age and adapted well to his new environment after moving to the MLB, can be a "living teaching tool" for the juniors in Tohoku Rakuten Eagles. The right-hander is making his return to the NPB after 11 years in the city of Mori, and he will be able to show his dynamic in the city and return to the team with his experience gained in the Japanese and American baseball worlds. Will the right-hander, who is returning to the NPB for the first time in 11 years, make a splash in the city of Mori and bring back to the team the experience he has gained in Japan and the US? The upcoming 2026 season pitch will be one to keep an eye on.

Text by Ryota Mochizuki