This is the 2026 season for Hokkaido Nippon-Ham, the fifth year that Takeshi Shinjo has been in charge of the team. The following is a list of new players who have joined the team this season as it aims for its long-cherished dream of winning the league championship and becoming Japan's No. 1 team.

(as of January 29, 2026)

Name (honorifics omitted)/Position number

〈New players
Jay Ohkawa / pitcher / 27
Kane Edokpolo / outfielder / 42
Ruan Ohtsuka / infielder / 49
Minato Handa / infielder / 51
Kaito Fujimori / catcher / 57

Hiroki Tsuneya / infielder / 123
Towa Yokoyama / pitcher / 124

Current Draft
Taiki Kikuchi / pitcher / 55

Transfer from other teams
Kohei Arihara / pitcher / 74
Hiroya Shimamoto / pitcher / 40
Haruki Nishikawa / outfielder / 7

Foreign players
Rodolfo Castro / infielder / 6
Sauryn Lao / pitcher / 30

The Hokkaido National Football League (HNL) is back in Hokkaido for the first time in six years, since 2020.

　Kohei Arihara pitcher Arihara pitcher, a first-round draft pick in the 2014 Hokkaido Nippon-Ham draft, was an ace in 2017 and 2020, starting pitcher the season. Fukuoka Softbank After the move, he won the Pacific League most wins two years in a row. Hiromi Ito pitcher and Arihara pitcher, the two most-winning pitcher starters together should be a major driving force.

Haruki Nishikawa The players will carry the The Fighters "7" for the first time in five years, since 2021. Last season, his second year in Tokyo Yakult, he played 49 games and hit .174 (115 At Bat 20 hit) with 1 stolen base. Will he shine again at his old club?

　Kazunari Ishii Joining the infield ranks with a player out of the lineup is Castro, a 26-year-old from the Dominican Republic. He played 133 minor league games last season, batting .235 with 19 Home Run and 18 stolen base.