Cuban Pitcher Liván Moinelo Reaching New Heights in Japan in 2025

After an outstanding 2024 season with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, Liván Moinelo has taken another major leap in 2025.

The Cuba-born lefty now considered the leading candidate for the Eiji Sawamura Award—Japan’s equivalent of the Cy Young—provided the award is handed out this year, unlike in 2024 when no pitcher met the full criteria.

The Eiji Sawamura Award is given to the most valuable pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball, and unlike MLB’s Cy Young Award, it is based on a clear set of criteria. To be eligible, a pitcher must have 25 or more starts, 15 or more wins, 10 or more complete games, a winning percentage of .600 or better, 200 or more innings pitched, an ERA of 2.50 or lower, or 150 or more strikeouts

Pitchers have received the award without meeting all seven benchmarks, but failure to meet most can result in no award being given—exactly what happened in 2024.

Moinelo is also a top contender for Pacific League MVP.

A former setup man who won the Pacific League’s Most Valuable Setup Man award in 2020, Moinelo transitioned into a starting role in 2024—and hasn’t looked back. He posted a brilliant 1.88 ERA with 155 strikeouts over 163 innings, threw two complete games, and helped lead SoftBank to one of the best records in NPB.

In 2025, he’s reached a whole new level.

He currently leads all NPB starters with a 1.07 ERA, has 150 strikeouts in 143.1 innings, and has thrown three complete games, including the first two shutouts of his NPB career. Moinelo has firmly established himself as one of the premier starting pitcher in Japan this season and is riding a 29-inning scoreless streak.

Statistically, Moinelo is among the elite, ranking third in FIP, second in strikeout rate at 27.8%, second in strikeouts (150), first in ERA+ (278), fifth in innings pitched (143 1/3), tied for third in shutouts (2), third in batting average against (.181), and first in WHIP (0.87).

For context, these numbers comparable favorably or surpass the peak seasons of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who won three consecutive Pacific League MVPs and Eiji Sawamura Awards from 2021–23. He became the third player to win the MVP in three straight years and second pitcher to win the Eiji Sawamura Award in three straight years. This comparison underscores just how dominant Moinelo has been and he only continues to get better.

Making History for Cuba – Moinelo is on the verge of rewriting the record books for Cuban players in Japan. No Cuban-born player has ever won the Pacific League or Central League MVP, nor has one been named to the NPB Best Nine as the league’s top pitcher. Moinelo could become the first Cuban pitcher to win the Eiji Sawamura Award.

Will He Make the Move to MLB? – As is often the case with top NPB talent, there’s speculation about a potential move to Major League Baseball. However, Moinelo is under contract with both the Federacion Cubana de Beisbol and the SoftBank Hawks. SoftBank pays a fee to FCB as part of this agreement, meaning Moinelo would need to defect and void both contracts to become an international free agent.

So far, Moinelo has not publicly expressed a desire to leave Japan.

Physically, at 5-foot-10 and 152 pounds, he would be one of the shortest and would be the lightest pitcher in MLB today, potentially raising concerns about durability. His fastball sits at 93–94 mph—respectable, but not elite by MLB standards. Given these factors, his dominance in NPB likely wouldn’t translate to elite numbers in MLB, making it more likely he will stay in Japan. At age 29 and in his prime, he’s building a case to be one of the greatest foreign pitchers in NPB history if he continues on his current trajectory.

Looking Ahead to the 2026 World Baseball Classic – Once the NPB season concludes, Moinelo will shift focus to international play. He is expected to be the ace of the Cuban national team at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Previously used as a setup man in the 2023 WBC, he’ll return as a starter, much like he did in the WBSC Premier12 tournament in November 2024.

Despite battling illness during the Premier12, Moinelo struck out seven in five innings, though he posted a 12.60 ERA. In group play against Japan, he pitched three innings in relief, striking out three and allowing two runs , one of them  earned. He’ll aim to be fully healthy and a key contributor as Cuba looks to advance from Pool A.

Cuba will compete in Pool A in San Juan, Puerto Rico, alongside the hosts, Canada, Panama, and Colombia. Their schedule begins with a March 6 game vs. Panama, and then they’ll play March 8 vs. Colombia, March 9 vs. Puerto Rico, and March 11 vs. Canada.

A Historic Year in the Making – Liván Moinelo is on the brink of making history—individually and for his teams. He has a chance to lead SoftBank to their first NPB title since 2020 and become the first Cuban to win major NPB pitching honors. Then, next March, he’ll look to lead Cuba to its first-ever World Baseball Classic title.

To achieve all of this, both teams will need Moinelo to be at his very best and dominant on the mound.