Chusei Mannami is one of the most intriguing players in Nippon Professional Baseball. Nippon is the highest level of professional baseball in Japan, and Mannami has been testing his skills in this league since 2019.
Mannami represents two countries on the field. Mannami’s mother is from Japan, and his father hails from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The 24-year-old outfielder is versatile, able to play all the positions in the outfield and first base. In the outfield, Mannami has accumulated a defensive highlight reel, showing off his defensive range and arm strength. In 2023, Mannami was credited with saving an astounding 18 runs in right field, leading to him winning the Fielding Bible NPB Defensive Player of the Year Award.
The Japanese-born prodigy has also shown improvement behind the plate every year in NPB. Mannami is batting .264 for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, .20 better than his career average. Along with the better average, Mannami has 9 home runs and 34 RBIs.
It is reasonable to assume that Mannami will soon get an opportunity to showcase his skills in the MLB. The day he makes his major league debut, Mannami will immediately be an impact outfielder. Moreover, with his bat consistently improving, MLB teams will likely see an elite upside in this Japanese prospect.
Mannami has openly spoken out about wanting to transition to the MLB, citing fellow Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani as his inspiration. In 2026, Chusei Mannami will be a free agent, giving him a little more time to develop as a batter and become a can’t miss prospect for major league teams.
Photo Credit: Outfielder Chusei Mannami #66 of Japan celebrates hitting a double in the 6th inning during the Asia Professional Baseball Championship Final. (Photo by Gene Wang/Getty Images)
