Selected as the first overall pick in the 2021 Development Draft, he joined the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Ren Fukushima pitcher. Last season, he made his presence felt with a 5-0 record in eight appearances starting in July, and also pitched well in the postseason against the Fukuoka Softbank.Now in his fifth season, he was promoted to the major league roster in late April and has made seven appearances so far. In addition to a steady ERA of 2.36, he has averaged 6.5 inning per start, showing steady progress as a starter.

fastball that supports the good pitching

Fukushima pitcher is known for his unique pitch form with a small takeback. From his first year after being promoted to the main roster in 2024, he has a wide range of pitches, including five pitch types, but the core of his pitch is undoubtedly the fastball, boasting a top speed of 155 km/h. Up to this point, he has recorded 25 of more than half of his 44 strike out, and his Avg.795 .185 is an impressive stat far ahead of the league average of .249 for that pitch type. This time, I'd like to focus on this fastball and delve into the right-hander's pitching.

He throws the ball high, but doesn't aim for the corners?

What's noteworthy is the location of fastball. In terms of the percentage pitch pitch at different heights, he throws the most to the high zone, which is a common characteristic of hard-throwing pitcher aim for swings and misses with high pitches.

On the other hand, what's unusual is the data separated into inside and outside corners. Generally, fastball are thrown to the outside corner, where it's difficult for the bat to reach, or to the inside corner, where it's easy to get jammed, and pitches down the middle are rarely thrown. However, in pitcher 's case, the percentage of pitch down the middle is 10 points higher than the league average, and is more frequent than pitches to the inside. This would seem to increase the risk of the ball being hit squarely with the bat, so how is he able to closer Avg against him in the 100s?

A higher rate of strikeouts than the hard-throwing relief pitchers

The secret lies in the overwhelming power of fastball. His swing-and-miss rate, which was 12.9% last season, has risen to 17.2% this season. This is more than double the league average of 8.2%, putting him at the top of the league closer starter pitcher surpassing hard-throwing relievers such as his teammates Seigi Tanaka and pitcher Taisei Yanagawa.

The ball's velocity doesn't drop even after pitching many inning.

starter Despite this, Fukushima pitcher pitches aggressively with the kind of velocity typically seen in a setup man or closer. The main concern here is his stamina. 1 inning Unlike relievers, who throw about 20 pitches at full force, inning starting pitchers must pitch at least 5 innings, and their velocity often drops in the middle innings and beyond.In fact, last season, Fukushima pitcher saw his average velocity drop by about 1.5 km/h after his 40th pitch. However, this season, even as his pitch count increases, he has maintained an average velocity in the 151 km/h range, showing no signs of a decline in his stuff. During the Interleague games, he pitched seven inning innings in three consecutive games, totaling 25 strike out innings and fully showcasing his strengths.

Kohei Arihara pitcher However, with [Name] being sent down to the farm team for adjustment, Kota Tatsu pitcher and others being reassigned to relief roles, the current state of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham starting rotation is not proceeding as planned before the season began. Against this backdrop, the emergence of Fukushima pitcher is a major positive for the team. We’ll definitely be keeping a close eye on the pitching of this 23-year-old, who is showing remarkable growth.

*All text and figures in the table are current as of June 25, 2026

Text by Data Stadium