NPB Player Movement Database

Atsuki Taneichi throws one of the best forkballs in Japan, which is roughly like owning one of the best surfboards in Hawaii: the competition for the title is severe, and he wins it anyway. A sixth-round pick out of a high school in northern Aomori Prefecture, he survived Tommy John surgery early in his career and rebuilt himself into Lotte's rotation anchor. In 2025 he reached the innings threshold for a second straight season, struck out 161 batters, and closed the year as the Pacific League's monthly MVP for September and October — a finishing kick that carried him onto Japan's roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

The fastball rides, the forkball falls off a cliff, and the strikeouts follow at nearly one per inning across his career's best stretches. He is 27, right-handed, durable when healthy, and pitching in Chiba's marine wind for a franchise that has historically been willing to let its stars test themselves abroad. American evaluators have taken note. The forkball travels well.