As practice games and exhibition games begin in the latter half of February, anticipation for the start of the season is building. For Pacific League fans who can't wait for the season to begin, Pacific League Insight introduces players to watch for the 2026 season. This time, we're featuring pitcher Tokito Kawamura Chiba Lotte Marines.

Tokito Kawamura

He joined Chiba Lotte Marines as the fourth pick in the 2020 draft from Seisa Dohto University. This is his sixth season as a professional pitcher.

In his first year, he pitched in 20 games for the first team, starting five of them and posting a 4-1 record with a 3.46 ERA in 41.2 inning. He entered his second year with high expectations, but was not selected for the opening day first team. He made his first appearance in May, pitching in four games, but was removed from the roster on May 29th. He continued to pitch in the second team, but underwent Tommy John surgery in mid-September, ending 2023 without regular season appearance.

In 2024, he pitched 45.2 innings in 20 games for the minor leagues, going 2-2 with a 4.53 ERA. He was registered as a controlled player on July 31, but did not return to the major leagues. In 2025, he pitched 78 innings in 15 games for the minor leagues, going 2-2 with a 2.27 ERA, and made his first appearance on the major league on August 14. In his second appearance on the mound on September 8, he gave up one runs in five innings, earning his first win in three years.

In his final appearance of the season on September 22nd against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, he pitched 108 pitches in 7 innings, allowing only 2 hit and no runs. He earned a win at his hometown ES CON FIELD in Hokkaido. He ended up with a record of 2 wins and 1 loss in 21 innings in 4 games, ERA of 2.57. Given his success in his first year back in the first team, he is expected to be a key starter this season.