In 2024, the only hitter to hit .300 in Pacific League was Kensuke Kondo.

In the 2024 Pacific League, the only player who reached the required number of at-bats and had a batting average above .300 was Kensuke Kondo, which was an unusual situation. Since there were many players whose batting averages dropped in an environment of high pitching and low batting, the value of players who have a batting average above a certain level is increasing more than ever.

This time, we will introduce the players who were named the "team's leading hitter" for each Pacific League League team in the 2024 season. We will look back on the achievements of the players who overcame a tough environment for hitter and led their team's batting lineup, and look forward to their further success this season.

Yuya Gunji (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters)

　Yuya Gunji The player joined Chunichi in the fourth round of the 2019 draft. Chunichi He was unable to establish himself in the first team in the three and a half seasons he spent at Hokkaido Nippon-Ham, but blossomed when he was traded to in the middle of 2023. In addition to his main job at catcher, he played multiple positions inside outfield, and managed a .254 batting average.

In 2024, he continued to utilize his natural utility, appearing in 99 games for third baseman, 21 games for first baseman, 9 games for outfielder, and 6 games for catcher. In addition to his team-leading .256 batting average, he also showed punching power with 12 Home Run and made his presence felt with a dramatic walk-off home run on August 1. As one of the main players, he contributed greatly to the team's second-place finish.

Ryosuke Tatsumi (Tohoku Rakuten)

　Ryosuke Tatsumi joined Tohoku Rakuten as the first draft pick in 2018. Since turning pro, he has played in over 100 games for six consecutive years, and has supported the team with his high-level outfield defense, taking advantage of his speed and strong arm. Early in his career, he had problems with batting, but since 2022, he has shown steady improvement, batting averages of over .260 for three consecutive years.

In 2024, he played in every game for the first time in his career, and in addition to his batting average of .294, which was second in the league, he also had the league's top 158 hit, winning his first batting title as the most hit outfielder and the Golden Glove Award for four consecutive years, and has grown into outfielder who represents Pacific League in both name and reality.

Sosuke Genda (Saitama Seibu)

　Sosuke Genda joined Saitama Seibu as the third draft pick in 2016. In his first year as a professional in 2017, he played the full inning in every game and showed impressive performance, winning the Rookie of the Year award that same year. Since then, he has continued to make great contributions to the team's consecutive league championships since 2018, making the most of his shortstop defense, which is among the best in the league, and his leg strength, which earned him the title of stolen base base leader in 2021.

Although he has never had a season in which his batting average exceeded .300, Genda's consistent batting average of around .270 is one of his characteristics. Even in recent years, when the trend of high pitching and low batting has been growing throughout the baseball world, he has continued to achieve consistent results without a significant drop in numbers, and in 2024, he played in every game and recorded the team's highest batting average of .264.

Toshiya Sato (Chiba Lotte)

　Toshiya Sato joined Chiba Lotte as the second draft pick in 2019. Since 2022, his third year as a professional, he has played in more than 100 games for three consecutive years, making the most of his strong arm and powerful batting, and has struggled as one of the main catcher. On the other hand, his batting average has been below .230 for four consecutive years, and he has struggled somewhat in terms of consistency.

However, in 2024, he maintained a high average from the start of the season, and was selected for the first time in the All-Star game, where he was named MVP in the second game. In his fifth year as a professional, he reached the required number of at-bats for the first time in his career, recording a batting average of .278, fourth in the league. He was also named to the Best Nine for the first time in catcher category, and had a fulfilling season in which he broke out as a "catcher who can hit."

Tomoya Mori (Orix)

　Tomoya Mori joined Saitama Seibu as the first draft pick in 2013. In 2019, he became hitter first catcher in 54 years since Katsuya Nomura to win Pacific League title, and was named the league MVP that year, helping the team win consecutive league championships. After transferring to Orix in 2023, he continued to play an active role, contributing to the team's league championship with a batting average of .293 and an OPS of .893 that year.

In 2024, he was limited to 117 games due to injury, but he reached the required number of at-bats and recorded a batting average of .281, third in the league, and an on-base percentage of .368, second in the league. His OPS was also relatively high at .783, fourth in the league, and he continues to perform at the top of the league even in an environment of high pitching and low batting.

Kensuke Kondo (Fukuoka Softbank)

Kondo joined the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham as the 4th pick in the 2011 draft. With his outstanding batting technique, which has seen him hit .298 or higher for eight consecutive years since 2017, and his outstanding batting eye, which boasts a career on-base percentage of .418, Kondo has been one of the league's hit machines. In 2023, after transferring to Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, he won the double crown in Home Run and RBI, and in recent years, he has made remarkable progress in terms of power.

In 2024, he continued to perform well despite the strong pitching and weak batting, recording a batting average of .314 and becoming the only .300 hitter Pacific League. He had an overwhelming season in which he won numerous titles, including his fourth highest on-base percentage, hitter first batting title in his 13th year as a professional, and his first league MVP, and became one of the driving forces behind the team's return to the championship.

Will each player be able to lead their team's batting lineup this season despite the strong pitching and weak batting?

It is noteworthy that Kondo, Mori, and Genda have maintained the same stable performance as before the trend of high pitching and low hitter are facing adverse conditions.

Will the players featured in this article continue to perform well in 2025 and become key hitter that support each team's batting lineup? In a pitcher-dominant environment, why not pay attention to the performance of these good hitter this season who can influence the batting lineup's scoring power and create a clear advantage over other teams?

Text by Ryota Mochizuki