Hiromi Itoh Scouting Report

Hiromi Itoh just authored one of the best pitching seasons in NPB and firmly vaulted himself into the conversation as the league's top arm from a pure production standpoint. While Shunpeita Yamashita remains the most talented pitcher in Japan, ongoing lower-back issues limited him to just 21.2 innings in 2025. Itoh went outing-for-outing with Liván Moinelo for the Sawamura Award—NPB's Cy Young equivalent—Moinelo captured Pacific League MVP honors, but Itoh ultimately took home the Sawamura.

Open Universe Top 125 Update 12/8/25Greg Hoogkamp has updated the Open Universe to more than 125 players from the NCAA, NPB, KBO, International and Prep ranks.Prospects LiveGreg Hoogkamp

Itoh's rise has been steady rather than meteoric, but 2025 represented the culmination of that steady climb up the mountain. He showed a true workhorse mentality, surpassing 200 innings between the regular season and postseason while consistently working deep into games and preserving effectiveness late. That durability and reliability separated him from the field.

Sign up for Prospects Live

Your one stop shop for Dynasty Fantasy Baseball, MLB Draft, Baseball Card & MiLB Baseball content. Blending Data & Scouting into our Player Evaluation

Subscribe

Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

This post is for subscribers only

Become a member to get access to all content

Subscribe now