Will being selected for the first team at camp directly affect your performance this season?

It's February, and spring training is in full swing for professional baseball teams. Spring training is typically split into two teams, one for the first team and one for the second team, but it's not uncommon for young players with little experience to be promoted to the first team, with the hopes of seeing them shine in the future.

This time, we will introduce the rookies and young players who were selected for the first-string members at the 2025 training camp, the previous year, and who have increased their playing time since the start of the season and made their presence felt. We would like to take a look back at the players who made their breakthroughs after the training camp.

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters

　Kota Tatsu pitcher had only pitched in a total of two games in his first three years as a pro, but after the season started, he pitched in 16 games as part of the starting lineup. He ERA 2.09, BB developed an outstanding pitch stability with a 1.67 slugging percentage and 4.70 K/BB, winning eight games and setting a new NPB record of seven consecutive wins in all games started since his debut. He has contributed to the team's breakthrough and is a good example of how a selection in camp can lead to a breakthrough.

　Kota Yazawa The player pitched in 17 games as a pitcher in 2024, while he struggled as a fielder with a .111 batting average in 28 games. However, in 2025, when he was dedicated to outfielder, he was with the first team from camp and played in 86 games, his highest number of appearances, despite being out of action. In addition to his .247 batting average and 11 stolen base, he often contributed to the team outfield defense and made an offensive and defensive impact in the postseason.

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

​Masahiro Ehara pitcher selected fourth in the draft, pitched well in five exhibition games with ERA of 1.50, earning a spot on the opening day first team. After the season began, he pitched in 30 games with one win and one hold, and ERA of 3.45, demonstrating his solid performance and living up to expectations as an immediate asset.

Both 　Fumiya Kurokawa and Daisuke Nakashima joined the first team during training camp and started the season with the second team, but made great strides after the season began. Kurokawa played in a career-high 83 games, displaying outstanding batting performance with a batting average of .299 and an OPS of .745. Nakajima played in a career-high 124 games, reaching the required number of at-bats, batting average of .266, Home Run, and 22 stolen base. In his second year as a pro, he has secured a key position in outfield.

Saitama Seibu Lions

　Haruto Yamada pitcher had no first-round starts in his first two years as a pro, but in 2025 he went 3-3 with 17 hold 1 saves and ERA 2.08 in 49 games, making the most of his chances to become a valuable piece of bullpen Shinnosuke Hada pitcher He also increased his pitching opportunities from 9 games in 2024 to 24 games in 2025 and pitched well ERA with a 2.95 ERA. He recorded 160 km/h, the fastest for a Japanese left-hander, and showed why the leaders selected him.

The second-round draft rookie Seiya Watanabe The player was a member of the first team from camp and recorded a high average in the early games. He ended up with a .259 batting average in 109 games, 12 Home Run and 43 RBI, and also showed his long-ball ability, making him a candidate for the rookie of the year award. Keisuke Nakata He played in 60 games, the most of his career, as a utility player who played four positions inside outfield the park, and struggled as a behind-the-scenes player in his first year with the club.

Chiba Lotte Marines

　Haruya Tanaka pitcher In 2025, he increased his appearances from 4 games in 2024 to 13 games in 2025, ERA 2.48, strike out a 9.08 ratio, showing his potential as a starting right-hander capable of struck out winning games. Yuto Kimura pitcher He also changed his role from a reliever at the start of the season to a starter midway through the season, going 3-2 with 5 hold wins, 1 save, and ERA a 3.31 ERA. He has made long strides since his first year as a pro, which ended with no appearances in the first team.

Like Kimura pitcher, a second-year high school graduate. Ryusei Terachi He appeared in 116 games and batted .256 with 5 Home Run, 33 RBI and struggled as a mainstay catcher. He has made great progress from the previous year, when he played in only two games. Daito Yamamoto Players also played the most games, 5 in 2024, but in 2025 they played 107 games and recorded 11 Home Run and 33 RBI. At one point, he was also the 4th hitter player, showing his qualities as a long-range gunner.

Orix Buffaloes

The majority of Orix Buffaloes first-string members for the 2025 training camp were made up of players with a certain level of experience in the first string. Among them, pitcher Kaito Saiki increased his appearances from 15 games last year to 38 games, dramatically improving ERA from 5.09 to 1.87. He showed impressive pitch with 2 wins, 1 loss, 11 hold, 4 saves, and strike out rate of 9.62, and has developed into a key part of the team's winning lineup.

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

　Haru Matsumoto pitcher has only appeared in a total of 8 games over the past two years, but in 2025, he will have 29 games, a significant increase in his opportunities to pitch in the first team. While serving as both a starter and a reliever, he has 6 wins, 6 losses, 2 hold, a ERA of 2.76, a strike out rate of 9.07, a BB rate of 2.27, and a K/BB of 4.00, and has developed excellent pitch content, contributing to the team's league championship and the best in Japan as a valuable left-hander.

　Jun Maeda pitcher also made only one first-team appearance in the first two years since entering the professional ranks, but in 2025, he threw 49 inning in 10 games and had a ERA 3.12 ERA, showing his presence in the first half of the season as a starter. Hikaru Kimura pitcher also increased his pitching opportunities to 13 games in 2025 from 5 games the previous year, and also recorded his first professional save on September 28. ERA 1.02, strike out rate 8.66, K/BB 3.40 showed good pitching, raising expectations for future performance.

Will there be players who will increase their playing time this season as a result of the training camp?

The emergence of new talent is an essential element for teams to maintain a high level of competitiveness over the long season. In the 2026 season, we hope to see as many players as possible take advantage of the opportunities they have seized in training camp to make great strides and bring a breath of fresh air to each Pacific League team.

Written by Ryota Mochizuki