Kodai Senga: A closer look at one of the best pitchers in the NPB

Unbeknownst to many MLB fans stateside, Kodai Senga is one of the most successful pitchers in the NPB despite his short tenure in the league. Senga made his NPB debut in 2012 for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks at the young age of 19.

Considering that he has played in the league for 11 seasons, the 29-year-old has amassed quite an accolade-laden CV during his tenure.

"Kodai Senga, 99mph Fastball and 84mph Slider, Individual Pitches + Overlay.: - @ Rob Friedman

Senga has a Triple Crown, a no-hitter, three All-Star selections, two Pacific League Best Nine Awards, two Gold Gloves, five Japan Series championships and an Olympic gold medal from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The 29-year-old also boasts an 87-44 record with a 2.59 ERA and 1,252 strikeouts in 11 NPB seasons. In 2022, he posted an 11-6 record with a stellar 1.94 ERA across 144 innings.

The New York Mets have reportedly had discussions with the Japanese fireballer along with the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers also rumored to be in pursuit of the superstar.

Kodai Senga's "Ghost Fork"

World Baseball Classic - Championship Round - Game 2 - United States v Japan

Shohei Ohtani, Yu Darvish, Hisashi Iwakuma, Hiroki Kuroda, and Hideo Nomo are just some of the names that Senga could find himself being talked about with if he can establish his footing in the MLB.

If he gets signed by any MLB team this winter, Senga will be looking to showcase his dreaded "Ghost Fork" pitch.

"Kodai Senga, 98mph Fastball and 83mph Ghost Fork, Individual Pitches + Overlay (synched at release/tails). 👻🍴 And Kodai Senga's Ghost Fork Grip." - @ Pitching Ninja

He owns a nasty forkball that has a whiff of greater than 50% and a chase rate of 40% in the 2022 NPB season. The hurler's breaking pitch is a beauty to watch as it can barely be distinguishable from his fastball release. This, in effect, has batters looking foolishly swinging in the air.

Barring any injury setbacks (a well-documented struggle for Senga), he should comfortably slot in as the number two starter in any rotation around MLB.