Raidel Martinez of Cuba throws in the ninth inning during the World Baseball Classic quarterfinal between Australia and Cuba at Tokyo Dome on March 15, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Kenta Harada/Getty Images)
The number of foreign players in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan has rapidly grown over the past 20 years, as the league relaxed the limit on the number of foreign players on team rosters.
This year, a total of 74 foreign players were on the active rosters of NPB teams at the start of the 2023 regular season in both the Pacific League and Central League.
In NPB, only four foreign players are allowed on the 25-man game roster, with a maximum of three position players or three pitchers. There cannot be four position players or four pitchers rostered at one time according to JapaneseBaseball.com.
This year, five foreign players have been named to the NPB All-Star Game Series for the Central League. The NPB’s two All-Star Games are scheduled for July 19 and July 20. This is the 73rd NPB All-Star Game Series in the history of the league.
The first game of the All-Star Game Series between the Pacific League and Central League will be played at the Vantelin Nagoya Dome in Nagoya, Japan, home of the Central League Chunichi Dragons on July 19 at 5:30 a.m. EDT. The second game of the All-Star Game Series will be played at Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium in Hiroshima, Japan, home of the Central League Hiroshima Carp on July 20 at 5:30 a.m. EDT.
NPB Foreign Player Central League List 2023 All-Star Tracker
Raidel Martinez – RP, Chunichi Dragons
Dragons Closer Raidel Martinez, 26, was born in Pinar del Rio, Cuba and has played in Nippon Professional Baseball for six seasons with the Chunichi Dragons. His fastball tops out at 100 mph, and he also throws a forkball reaching 93 mph with effective low crease break to right handed hitters as a right handed flame thrower.
Martinez was selected to his first All-Star Game last season as he went 4-3 facing 213 hitters in 56 games throwing 55.2 innings recording a 0.97 ERA with 39 saves allowing 30 hits, two home runs, six total earned runs, 12 walks, and striking out 62.
This season, Martinez is 1-1 with his ERA astonishingly at 0.00 facing 111 batters throwing 29 innings with 21 saves allowing 22 hits, no home runs, walking two batters, and striking out 43.
Martinez’s lifetime stats in NPB at 10-15 with a 1.91 ERA eclipsing 112 saves, throwing 235 innings allowing 164 hits, 11 home runs, walking 58, and striking out 275 batters. Martinez has not given up a run in 38 consecutive appearances. The last time he gave up a run was on September 9, 2022 against their Central League rival the Yomiuri Giants.
Cy Sneed – SP, Tokyo Yakult Swallows
Sneed, 30, born in Elko, Nevada was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the third round of the 2014 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft out of Dallas Baptist University and has been selected to his first All-Star Game since coming to NPB in 2021.
Sneed played two seasons in Major League Baseball with the Houston Astros in 2019 and 2020 after playing five seasons progressing through the minors.
Sneed was unspectacular with the Astros, recording a 5.59 ERA in 26 appearances over two seasons out of the bullpen, throwing 38.2 innings and allowing 48 hits, eight home runs, walking 15 batters, and striking out four. He requested an unconditional release from the Astros on December 2, 2020, so that he could sign with the Swallows.
In his first season with the Swallows, Sneed helped the franchise win their sixth Japan Series Championship, beating the Orix Buffaloes in six games as he went 6-2 with a 3.41 ERA over 13 games, throwing 68.2 innings and allowing 60 hits, nine home runs, walking 23 and striking out 69. Last season, Sneed posted a 3.54 ERA in 23 games, throwing 132.1 innings and allowing 140 hits, 17 home runs, 26 walks, and 96 strikeouts with a 1.254 WHIP.
This season, Sneed is 5-5 through 14 starts with a 3.43 ERA, throwing 81.1 innings and allowing 86 hits, 10 home runs, 23 walks, and 69 strikeouts, including a complete game shutout against the Chunichi Dragons where he allowed six hits, one walk and struck out five batters facing 32 batters on June 23.
Trevor Bauer – SP, Yokohama DeNA Baystars
In Bauer’s first season in Nippon Professional Baseball, he was selected as an All-Star.
He signed an incentive-laden one-year $4 million contract with the Baystars on March 13, 2023 after playing 10 seasons in Major League Baseball.
Bauer has been toying with Japanese hitters quite successfully after missing all of the 2022 season after being placed on administrative leave from Major League Baseball on July 2, 2021, for an internal investigation into sexual assault allegations that were made against him.
On December 22, 2022, Bauer’s suspension was reduced from 324 games to 194 games. Bauer was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers and no other MLB club was interested in his services.
In Bauer’s first season in Japan, he has started in 11 games, posting a 3.67 ERA with a 6-2 record throwing 73.2 innings with two complete games, allowing 33 hits, 12 home runs, walking 19, and striking out 81 with a 1.222 WHIP. He was named the NPB Most Valuable Player for the month of June.
Bauer pitched a complete game at home against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows on July 6, throwing 128 pitches and allowing two earned runs, four hits, three walks, and seven strikeouts while facing 34 batters. In his last start on July 12 on the road against the Hanshin Tigers, he threw 7.1 innings, allowing four earned runs, six hits, with a walk and five strikeouts, earning a no-decision.