With Nippon Professional Baseball spring training underway, most fans have their eyes locked on the league’s biggest stars and perennial MVP contenders. But what about the overlooked talent? Here are five underrated players worth watching in the 2025 season.
For the purposes of this list, “underrated” will be defined as a player with no All-Star selections, individual awards and titles, or senior national team appearances in the past five seasons.
2B/3B Hiroki Fukunaga – Chunichi Dragons
Drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 NPB Draft out of industrial league team Nippon Shinyaku, Fukunaga wasn’t a highly regarded prospect. However, he quickly proved himself as a rookie, appearing in 97 games for the Dragons top team and posting a 94 wRC+, just shy of league-average. His offensive potential was even more evident in the minors, where he slashed .327/.435/.519.
In 2024, he began the season on the farm but once again outclassed the competition, recording a 196 wRC+ in 27 games. After earning a call-up in late April, he finally translated that success to the NPB level, delivering a .789 OPS, 158 wRC+, and 3.5 WAR over 111 games. He also stole nine bases and rated as one of the better baserunners in the league.
New manager Kazuki Inoue has named Fukunaga the team’s starting second baseman for the 2025 season, though his positional versatility at third base and left field gives him additional opportunities to stay in the lineup. At 28 years old, he has a clear path to regular playing time and can establish himself as one of the core bats on a rebuilding team alongside Seiya Hosokawa and Takaya Ishikawa.
2B Yudai Fujioka – Lotte Marines
Fujioka debuted for Lotte all the way back in 2018, but his true breakthrough as an impact player came in 2023 when he magically posted a .389 OBP and 3.3 WAR in just 93 games. He did so by increasing his walk rate by almost six percent from the previous season thanks to the development of elite plate discipline with an 18.7 Chase%, the best mark in NPB for hitters with at least 300 plate appearances.
He took a small step back in 2024 with his OBP falling to .354, but lowered his strikeout rate from 17.4% to 15.7% and still showcased many of the necessary traits to be a successful tablesetter. Before Masato Yoshii became the team’s manager, Fujioka had never managed an wRC+ above 90 in his entire career. Since Yoshii took over, Fujioka has transformed into a fundamentally different player with a strong 125 wRC+.
He’s had trouble staying healthy and generally rates poorly defensively at second base, but the 31-year-old was recently named the Marines captain and should continue to form the nucleus of the lineup with Gregory Polanco and Hiromi Oka in 2025.
RF Yuya Ogoh – Rakuten Eagles
Selected in the seventh round of the 2018 NPB Draft, Ogoh steadily improved in the Eagles farm system. The Okayama native saw his wRC+ rise each year from 2020 to 2022, climbing from 111 to 119 to 122, while stealing 39 bases over that span.
Aside from a tiny 129 plate appearance sample in 2020 — when he posted a .405 OBP and .438 SLG — Ogoh struggled to translate his skills to the NPB level, unable to make consistent contact. His breakthrough finally came in 2023 when veteran outfielder Hiroaki Shimauchi’s production declined, opening the door for Ogoh to step in. He hasn’t looked back since.
Over the past two seasons, the 28-year-old has a 122 wRC+ with 45 steals, 40 doubles, and 17 home runs. His 18 defensive runs saved in right field also ranks second in NPB since 2023 only behind Chusei Mannami.
RHP Kodai Umetsu – Chunichi Dragons
A highly regarded prospect in the 2018 NPB Draft, Umetsu was once expected to become a pillar of the Dragons rotation. However, injuries repeatedly stalled his development. In 2024, he finally saw his biggest workload yet, making 14 starts at the NPB level. Despite a disappointing 2-8 record and a 4.07 ERA (68 ERA+), there were encouraging signs beneath the surface.
Umetsu’s average fastball velocity of 93.5 mph ranked in the top 10 among starters with at least 75 innings pitched, while his 22.0 K% placed him in the top 15. While his limited arsenal made him somewhat one-dimensional at times, his slider and splitter were effective, each generating ground ball rates above 60% while holding opponents to batting averages around the Mendoza Line.
If the 28-year-old can refine his pitch locations, increase his secondary usage, stay healthy, and get a bit more luck on his side, he has a strong chance of delivering his best season yet in 2025.
LHP Darwinzon Hernandez – SoftBank Hawks
Signed as an international amateur by the Boston Red Sox in 2013, Hernandez displayed electric stuff across nine minor league seasons, posting a 10.7 K/9, and an even higher 14.0 K/9 over 91 major league appearances. Unfortunately, his severe control issues always held him back, as he posted a 7.7 BB/9 and a 1.73 WHIP over his MLB career.
He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in January 2023 but was released during the season. Shortly after, he turned to Japan, signing with the SoftBank Hawks, who had recently lost setup man Livan Moinelo to injury. Though the Venezuelan saw limited time with the top team, his elite strikeout rates continued in the minors, posting a 16.2 K/9 in 2023.
In 2024, Moinelo transitioned to a starting role, and Hernandez earned a spot in the bullpen. Finally given a chance, he thrived, quickly emerging as one of the most dominant arms in the league.
He went on to lead all NPB relievers by a wide margin with a 37.1 K% (13.5 K/9), he firmly established himself as a reliable late-inning option, posting a 2.25 ERA and 1.88 FIP. More importantly, his control problems seemed to be resolved, as he registered a much-improved 7.2 BB% (2.6 BB/9).
Hernandez relied heavily on his four-seamer, which sits at 94-96 mph, throwing it over 80% of the time while pairing it with a big slider. Against same-handed hitters, the southpaw was nearly untouchable, holding them to a .155 opponent average and a .428 OPS while generating a 31% whiff rate on his fastball. Still just 28 years old, he is poised for another elite campaign in 2025.
