After adjusting in the minor leagues, he was able to showcase his strengths.

​Carson McCusker, who hit 22 Home Run in the minor leagues in 2025 and joined Tohoku Rakuten Eagles this season, was expected to be a key player in the lineup. However, he struggled in the 9 games he played until April, At Bat 4-for-28 with no hit runs, and was removed from the roster twice. But after being promoted to the first team on May 28, he recorded a team-leading 15 Home Run in 51 games. He has been the cleanup hitter since the end of the interleague series, and has been showcasing his power hitting to the fullest. This time, we will analyze McCusker's characteristics using data.

Improved ability to distinguish balls from strikes

First, let's focus on the changes in the nine games up to April and the changes since his promotion to the first team in May. That is plate discipline. McCuscarr's swing rate in the strike zone is below the league average, and he is considered a 'waiting pitch type' who carefully judges hitter pitch, but right after the season started, he tended to play more on the ball pitches. However, since May, his swing rate in the strike zone has increased, and his swing rate in the ball zone has fallen below the league average. In other words, his accuracy in judging whether to go for a hit has greatly improved.

Its strength lies in its ability to withstand the opposing battery's offensive attacks.

As McCusker has started to watch pitch carefully before swinging, opposing pitchers and catchers are naturally taking measures to get him out. Specifically, the percentage pitch thrown to the inside corner has increased to 34.6%, suggesting an intention to jam him with inside pitches. However, looking at the nature of his batted balls by location, the percentage of fly balls and line drive drives that are likely to become hits is above the league average for all locations, so his batting does not seem to be falling apart at the moment.

He hit a series of powerful shots.

His batting style, which allows him to consistently hit strong line drives regardless of the pitch location, is clearly yielding results. When limited to fly balls and line drive drives, he has 40 At Bat in 87 hit, with more than half of those being extra-base hits. His slugging percentage of 1.069 (1.100 if limited to May onwards) is an excellent figure, surpassing top Home Run hitters such as Ryoya Kurihara of Fukuoka Softbank and Reyes Hokkaido Nippon-Ham-Ham.

When McCusker hit a team-record three Home Run in a single game on July 10th, he commented, "I'm able to step up to the plate fully prepared for pitcher I'm facing for the first time." Even if opposing pitchers and catchers change their tactics further in the second half of the season, if he can demonstrate the kind of adaptability we've seen, he should be able to continue hitting home runs in abundance. Be sure to keep an eye on this tall slugger's powerful swing in the future.

*All figures in the text and tables are as of August 10, 2026.

Text by Data Stadium