The Australian Baseball League (ABL) is where you can find top prospects from every top league, seasoned veterans from all over the world, and several members of the Australian National Baseball Team, all duking it out for the Claxton Shield. MLB stars like Ronald Acuña Jr. and Shota Imanaga spent their Aussie summers in Melbourne and Canberra before becoming household names.
Every ABL team builds its roster through partnerships, with all six ballclubs having an MLB connection. Five of the six clubs, except the Brisbane Bandits, also have agreements with NPB teams. These NPB teams lend their players—usually prospects and veterans—to gain more playing time in a competitive environment.
It is important to note that every player on this list understandably returned to Japan before Christmas to get some rest and start preparing for the 2025 NPB season with their respective clubs. The ABL will finish the season over the next two weeks before the playoffs begin.
Here are the five partnerships between NPB and ABL clubs:
Did the next Imanaga or Yusei Kikuchi just play in Australia? Let’s find out.
1B/OF Yuto Akihiro
Tied for the tallest player in NPB history, the 6’7″ giant lives up to his NPB team’s name—and the same can be said for his new ABL team. The 23-year-old, whose nickname is “Shin Godzilla” (a nod to former Giant legend Hideki Matsui), broke out at the NPB level in 2023, hitting .273 with 10 home runs in 439 plate appearances for the Kyojin. A lousy spring had him start on the farm team in 2024, but the 22-year-old failed to tap into his power, hitting just two home runs on the year and seeing very limited playing time with the top team.
In his time with Adelaide, Akihiro hit nearly everything, leading the club with a .321 batting average in 23 games (Jared Carr has a .438 AVG but he has only played 8 games), starting 17 games in left field, 7 at first base, and 2 in right field, earning him a spot in ABL’s Mid-Season All-Star roster.
RHP Makoto Kyomoto
Born in 2004, Kyomoto made four NPB appearances in his age-20 season after being drafted as a 7th-round developmental draft pick in 2021 (14th pick by the Giants). Kyomoto excelled as a starter in 2023 on the farm, going 5-4 with a 2.36 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 76 innings against competition that was almost seven years older on average than him. However, the Giants had him pitch more out of the bullpen in 2024. Kyomoto’s fastball sits in the 91-93 mph range, and his 6’3″ frame suggests there could be room for more.
Kyomoto pitched like the (Adelaide) Giants ace, outperfoming reigning MVP Lachlan Wells, posting a 2.06 ERA in his 6 starts, striking out 43 batters with just 4 walks. I project Kyomoto to make a bid for the Yomiuri starting rotation in 2025, which will be more accessible now that all-time legend Tomoyuki Sugano has left for MLB and signed in Baltimore. Like Akihiro, Kyomoto has left Australia to prepare for the 2025 NPB season. He was selected into the Mid-Season ABL All-Star roster.
LHP Ryusei Yamada
A 2nd-round draft pick from the same class as Kyomoto, Yamada has yet to make his NPB debut. The 24-year-old pitched well in relief for the Giants’ farm team in 2024, posting a 1.65 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 27.1 innings. Yomiuri did not renew his contract initially but re-signed the lefty to a developmental contract instead.
Yamada was inconsistent during his time in Adelaide, with a 4.91 ERA in 5 starts. Yamada was able to rack up strikeouts though, with 43 strikeouts in just 25.2 innings pitched. Yamada left Australia and should be in the mix for some innings out of Yomiuri’s bullpen in 2025.
Drafted as a pitcher out of high school in the 2018 draft, Katsumata gave up pitching after three years in the minors and transitioned to an outfielder before the 2022 season. At the plate this year, Katsumata posted a .620 OPS in 175 at-bats.
The 24-year-old lefty hitter struggled in Australia with a .551 OPS. On a positive note, Katsumata showed the arm strength you would expect from a former pitcher, recording 6 outfield assists in just 19 starts.
RHP Kyosuke Saito
The 11th-ranked prospect on Yuri Karasawa’s (@YakyuCosmopolitan) Preseason Top 50 Prospects list, the 20-year-old Saito split time between the majors and the farm team, starting 8 games for the Buffaloes, pitching to a 4.06 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. He also started another 11 games on the farm, finishing with a 3.07 ERA.
For Melbourne, Saito pitched well enough, though he didn’t show the dominance you would expect from someone with a decent run as an NPB starter, with hitters batting .283 against him. The right-hander posted a 4.34 ERA over 29 innings, striking out 31 batters.
RHP Taiki Ono
A 30-year-old veteran with 6 years of NPB experience, Ono is currently on a developmental contract with the Buffaloes and did not pitch with the top team in 2024. The former Tiger has just 36 innings pitched in the majors since 2019. Ono’s calling card is his fastball, which can reach up to 97 mph, but he has consistently struggled with command.
Ono was mostly lights out for the Aces in 2024, having not allowed a run in 8/9 appearances, striking out 19, and picking up two saves. Ono was voted into the Mid-Season ABL All-Star team, the only pitcher on the Aces staff to do so.
RHP Taito Takashima
Like Saito, RHP Taito Takashima got some run in the Buffaloes rotation, recording 9 starts and 12 relief appearances over 56 innings. The 24-year-old finished the year with a 4.02 ERA.
Takashima struggled immensily in the ABL, finishing his campaign with a 9.13 ERA over 23.2 innings, giving up 7 homers with a .372 batting average against. With the Buffaloes’ signing of veteran starter Aren Kuri, cracking the already stacked Buffaloes rotation will prove difficult if Takashima continues struggling in the spring.
2B/3B Fumiya Kurokawa
The Eagles’ 2nd-round pick out of powerhouse Chiben Wakayama HS in 2019, Kurokawa has spent the last 5 seasons mostly with Rakuten’s second team, finding modest success and occasional cups of coffee with the top team. Still only 23, Kurokawa showed great discipline at the plate this season, walking 53 times with only 38 strikeouts with the farm team. However, the 3rd baseman failed to hit for much power to be a difference-maker at the plate (.696 OPS).
The sole member of the Eagles in Perth, Kurokawa started 20 games for the Heat, hitting .280/.337/.400 with 1 home run. He was one of 5 Japanese players to be selected into the Mid-Season ABL All-Star team.
The minor-league home run king in 2024, the 22-year-old Yamamoto has turned himself into a prospect worth noting after being a developmental draft pick in 2020. Playing all 3 outfield positions, Yamamoto hit .279/.335/.494 with 19 home runs for the Marines’ farm team. This earned him a call-up to NPB, where he played in 5 games from August onward as the Marines made a playoff push.
In Sydney, Yamamoto continued to play well, hitting .291/.330/.407 for an .737 OPS, though I expected him to hit for more power. He will be in the mix for the crowded Marines outfield.
Just 18 years old, Matsuishi unsurprisingly spent his entire rookie season with the 2nd team, hitting .207/.257/.241 without a single home run.
The Marines thought highly enough of his talent to send him to a competitive league like the ABL, and the Blue Sox used him as their primary shortstop, starting 19 games at the position, and earning a lot of praise for his highlight-reel defense. However, he did not offer much at the plate in Sydney.
Another teenager, Terachi impressed enough in his rookie year to earn a cup of coffee with the Marines, collecting his first NPB hit in the penultimate game of the season. Terachi hit .290/.368/.358 with 2 home runs with the farm team in 2024.
In Sydney, Terachi was a regular, both as a catcher and designated hitter, hitting .302 with a .762 OPS.
LHP Yuto Yoshikawa
Continuing the trend in Sydney, Yoshikawa is the third 2005-born Marine to play in Australia. A lefty drafted in the 2022 developmental rounds, Yoshikawa posted a 3.38 ERA in 29.1 innings this season, struggling with free passes (20 walks).
Yoshikawa was deployed as a starter in Australia, holding a 3.86 ERA in 3 starts.
RHP Hikaru Ohtani
Though he is not related to Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani (as far as we know), Hikaru Ohtani is a fireballer on the mound just like Shohei. Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2023 NPB Draft, the 24-year-old out of company ball can reach up to 98 mph, but his other offerings still aren’t up to snuff to compete at the NPB level yet.
In three appearances out of the Blue Sox bullpen, Ohtani struggled with a 10.13 ERA and his last appearance came in November.
