Leading the bullpen staff despite being in his second year out of high school.

Saitama Seibu Lions pitcher Hibiki Shinohara has finished a breakthrough season. While the right-hander recorded 8 wins in the second-tier league as a starter during his rookie year last season, he made the opening day first-team roster as a reliever this season. By the end of the year, he had appeared in 46 games with a 2.22 ERA and a team-high 31 holds, proving to be a mainstay of the bullpen.

Standing at 178cm, his physique is not particularly large, and his success as a reliever in his second year out of high school is reminiscent of pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (now with the Dodgers). Hibiki Shinohara himself aims to eventually succeed as a starter, and fans are eagerly awaiting the day he leaps forward to become a pitcher representing the baseball world, much like Yamamoto. In this column, while looking back at the current season's performance of this rapidly growing right-hander, we will use data to explore what kind of growth curve he will draw in the future.

One of the league's top speed bowlers

Pitcher Shinohara's greatest weapon is his powerful fastball. That pitch, which accounts for more than half of his pitch distribution, recorded an average speed of 152.8 km/h, ranking fifth among Japanese relief pitchers in the Pacific League this season. The top four pitchers in the rankings are all hard-throwing relievers with at least five years of professional experience. If Pitcher Shinohara, who is still in the process of building his professional physique, increases his velocity further in the future, the day he surpasses them should not be far off.

A breaking ball that can get a swing and a miss

Shinohara pitcher's weapon is not just his fastball. Both his slider and change-up, which follow his fastball in pitch percentage, recorded excellent results with an Avg in the .100s. Looking at the whiff rate, both pitch types are above the league average, functioning as finishing pitches that can be used after getting ahead in the count. By controlling his fastball and breaking ball with high precision, he accumulated a number of strike out that exceeded his number of inning pitched.

Challenges for the next season as well

On the other hand, challenges for next season also became apparent. Until June, he continued to pitch well with an ERA in the 1.00s, but entering July, he lacked some stability, and instances of giving up runs involving Walks increased. His ERA from July onwards was 3.54, and his BB rate was 5.75, as he struggled with control.

Still, the fact that he was able to maintain a high strike out rate was a positive takeaway. To continue stable pitching throughout the year, further improvement in control will likely be required.

Marking a pitch speed that exceeds that of the great pitcher in his younger days

As mentioned earlier, pitcher Shinohara shares many similarities with pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. His average fastball speed of 152.8 km/h and maximum speed of 158 km/h this season are both figures that exceed pitcher Yamamoto's second year as a pro. pitcher Yamamoto focused on starting from his third year in 2019 onwards and grew into the ace of the Orix Buffaloes.

For pitcher Shinohara, who is looking toward a future return to the starting rotation, whether he can maintain his velocity while throwing long inning will be a major key. pitcher Yamamoto continued to increase his average speed even after moving to the rotation, recording 153.0 km/h in the season just before moving to the U.S. When pitcher Shinohara challenges himself as a starter, it will be interesting to see how that fastball evolves.

Although they narrowly lost to Hokkaido Nippon-Ham in the first baseman stage of the "2026 PERSOL Climax Series Pa" held the other day, pitcher Shinohara's challenge continues. Next, he will participate in the "RAXUS Asia Professional baseball Championship 2026" as a member of Samurai Japan.

pitcher Yamamoto also accumulated various experiences and overcame numerous hardships to build his current status. pitcher Shinohara will likely face many trials ahead, such as opposing teams' strategies and adapting to a starting role. Beyond overcoming those walls, he should be able to see the back of a great pitcher.

※All figures in the text and tables are as of the end of the 2026 season

Text by Data Stadium