Cuban closer Raidel Martínez has continued his dominance in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in 2025, transitioning seamlessly from the Chunichi Dragons to the Yomiuri Giants. While his strikeout numbers are slightly down from his peak in 2023, his overall effectiveness hasn’t wavered.
So far in 2025, Martínez has yet to allow a run for the Giants, and boasts a 51.6% ground ball rate. He has thrown 28 2/3 innings with 31 strikeouts, while allowing just 13 hits all season. His Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP), which isolates pitching performance from defense, sits at an elite 1.28, with an xFIP of 1.77—his third-best mark ever, narrowly behind his 1.76 xFIP from 2021. These aren’t the numbers of a pitcher riding a hot streak; they’re the numbers of someone simply overpowering hitters.
One potential area for improvement? His called strike rate, which is currently at a career-low 11.7%. If that number returns to his career norm, Martínez could somehow become even more dominant—because the stuff is electric.
Martínez has racked up 24 saves this season, ranking second in NPB behind his former Chunichi teammate Shinya Matsuyama, who leads with 27. Both have been in the conversation for best reliever in NPB this year. Since being converted to a full-time reliever in 2019, Martínez leads all of NPB with 190 saves; only one other pitcher has even reached 140 in that span. Minimum 100 innings, he also ranks seventh in strikeout rate (K%) and third in FIP over those seven seasons—an era of sustained, elite performance.
Looking ahead to 2026, Martínez is expected to once again anchor Cuba’s bullpen at the World Baseball Classic, health permitting. He closed out Cuba’s dramatic 4–3 win over Australia in the 2023 quarterfinals, sending the team to its first semifinal appearance since 2006. He followed that up with another save against Australia at the Premier12 tournament this past November. As Cuba builds a roster that will likely include top arms from both Japan and the MLB system, Martínez will look to close games in their quest for their first-ever WBC title.
WBN NPB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/japan/
