I joined Fukuoka Softbank Hawks as the 2nd overall pick in the 2022 draft. Ryosuke Otsu pitcher Last season, his second year as a starter, he overcame an early-season slump to eventually win six games. This season, he has already won five games in eight starts and has become a pillar of the team's starting lineup, recording a personal-best 11 strike out wins in a game against Rakuten Eagles on April 16.

pitcher Looking at his results, his strike out rate, which was 4.93 last season, has improved to 7.79. Not only has he improved his results, but he has also pitch improved his content, and it is no wonder that he is gaining more and more confidence pitcher as a rotation player. In this issue, we would like to take a look at a right-hander who has continued to impress us since the start of the season.

The changes in pace that support pitcher Otsu's pitch

The table above shows the pitch ratios by pitch type. Among the diverse pitches pitcher Otsu controls, the one to watch this time is change-up. In his first year as a reliever, he was used infrequently at a pitch rate of 4.3%, but after switching to a starting pitcher in 2024, he learned the so-called 'non-coming' change-up. He began to distinguish between the 'drop-type' pitch he originally used, and now, alongside fastball, it is an important pitch supporting the pitch of his right arm.

These two types of pitches are effective not only for differences in trajectory but also for varying speeds; this season, there is a 19 km/h difference between the slowest "non-coming type" at 109 km/h and the fastest "falling type" at 128 km/h.

He's had great success with change-up this season.

This change-up has the highest swing missed rate among his balls and functions as a ball that causes swings and missed hitter. Additionally, this season he has posted better results than usual in Avg and strike rate, and since change-up has become a reliable pitch in his mind, it is believed to have a positive impact on the overall quality of the pitch, including strike out rate.

change-up as inning pitch.

As mentioned earlier, change-up has been a key pitch since 2024, but until last season, it was merely one of many pitches he threw. However, this season, he has increased the percentage of change-up he throws after getting two strike on the batter. Of the 47 struck out he has recorded so far, 19, or about 40%, have been with change-up. It can be said that making this pitch, which is most likely to inning swings and misses, his winning pitch is a factor contributing to the improvement in strike out rate.

Another characteristic that makes it worthy of being called a "magic pitch"

Finally, I'd like to introduce another feature of the change-up of Otsu pitcher. That means you can take away swings and missed spots in the strike zone. Not just in change-up, but when aiming for a swing and miss on breaking ball, the theory is to have hitter swing the ball to the ball. However, compared to other pitcher in the league, Otsu pitcher has a higher rate of change-up throwing into the strike zone and boasts a high missed mark rate within that zone.

Not only can he distinguish between two pitches, but he also uses combinations with fastball averaging 146.3 km/h and fork averaging 133.0 km/h, so if you skip it, it's naturally strike, and even when you throw a swing, it's hard to catch with the bat—truly a pitch worthy of being called a magic pitch.

In Game 4 of last season's "SMBC Japan Series 2025," pitcher Otsu steadily built his career as a professional baseball player, playing a role as the starting mound on the big stage. Heading into the 2026 season, carrying the newly number 19, he has delivered outstanding results so far, aiming for double-digit win within his range. The Hawks pitcher Will the fourth-year right-hander, who leads the team, to three consecutive league championships? We want to keep an eye on his pitching going forward.

*All figures in the text and tables are as of May 26, 2026.

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