Every year, teams from Nippon Professional Baseball, the Korea Baseball Organization, and the Chinese Professional Baseball League send a few of their players to play with organizations in the Australian Baseball League (ABL). There are six teams in the ABL, and five have confirmed affiliations with a team from NPB, KBO, or CPBL.
While in Australia, Asian players can develop their game while playing in a highly competitive professional league. Former and current Asian Major League Baseball players who played in the ABL include pitcher Shota Imanaga of the Chicago Cubs (2018-19 Canberra Cavalry), current MLB free agent pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (2011-12 Melbourne Aces), shortstop Tzu-Wei Lin of the Rakuten Monkeys (2022-23 Auckland Tuatara), and free agent designated hitter Ji-man Choi (2012-13 Adelaide Bite).
Here are five Asian professional players ready to significantly impact their teams during the 2024-25 ABL season.
Akihiro is 22 and stands six foot six, 209 pounds, making him the tallest player in NPB history. He spent most of the 2024 NPB season playing for the Giants’ Eastern League team, hitting .274 with 28 RBI in 96 games. The Giants have given him some opportunities to play with the club’s parent team since he entered NPB in 2018, as he hit ten home runs in 121 games in the Central League in 2023. The 2024-25 season will be Akihiro’s first in the ABL.
Kim turned 23 less than a month ago and made one start for the Samsung Lions during the 2024 KBO season. He spent most of the year with the Lions’ minor league affiliate in the KBO Futures League, pitching to a 4.58 ERA in 72.2 innings. The Korea University product could be an essential part of the Bandits bullpen during the season and can make a few spot starts for the team if needed. Kim’s development this ABL season could impact how the Lions view his place on the roster during the 2025 KBO season.
Katsumata is yet to make his NPB debut with the BayStars’ top team, playing the last six seasons in the Eastern League. For the first three seasons of his career, Katsumata struggled as a pitcher, delivering a 5.08 ERA in 49 games. Following the 2021 season, the righty thrower and lefty hitter transitioned to the outfield, where he posted a respectable .801 OPS with six home runs in his first full year as a position player. The BayStars will look for the 24-year-old to progress and gain confidence at the plate this ABL season with the Cavalry.
Liu made his CPBL debut for the Wei Chuan Dragons in 2024, hitting just .210 with one home run in 49 games. However, the 20-year-old can play shortstop or second base and stole seven bases in eight attempts for the Dragons, bringing above-average speed to the Aces. Liu played for Chinese Taipei in the U-23 Baseball World Cup in September and led the team with seven hits and 15 total bases. Liu’s U-23 Chinese Taipei teammate and center fielder for the Dragons, Wang Shun-ho, will also head to Melbourne to play for the Aces.
Yamamoto is regarded as one of the Marines’ best prospects in NPB, smashing 19 home runs with a .829 OPS in 110 games in the Eastern League in 2024. In 2024, Yamamoto led the Marines’ farm team with 198 total bases and 66 RBI, 24 more than the next closest player, outfielder Shingo Ishikawa. Yamamoto could fulfill an integral role in the Marines’ lineup in the Pacific League as early as next year and will likely be an everyday player for the Blue Sox, who finished in last place in the ABL during the 2023 regular season with an 11-29 record.
Opening Day of the 2024-25 ABL season begins on Friday, November 15. Watch the ABL all season long with the free streaming app Baseball+.
