Tyler Nevin, a former Major League Baseball player, has signed a two-year contract extension with the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball’s Pacific League. After four seasons in MLB, where he struggled to establish himself as a consistent hitter, Nevin appears to have found his stride in Japan.
At first glance, his numbers — a .269/.330/.379 slash line with 5 home runs — may seem modest. However, in the context of Japan’s current extreme dead-ball era, those stats are well above average. Nevin boasts a 120 wRC+ and has made significant adjustments at the plate. Compared to his 2024 MLB season, he has reduced his ground ball rate, increased his line drive rate by nearly 8%, and is pulling the ball 12% more often — now at 43.8%. Perhaps most impressively, he has substantially improved his strikeout rate.
These improvements have solidified Nevin as an above-average hitter in NPB — a transition that many foreign players struggle to make. His strong performance has earned him a new deal that will keep him with the Seibu Lions through the 2027 season.
WBN NPB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/japan/
