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| Murakami, who ranked No. 1 in annual salary for two consecutive years, signed a three-year contract for 600 million yen and a total of 1.8 billion yen in the 2022 off-season. Murakami is planning to challenge for the Major League after the end of this season. Photo capture = Yakult Swallows SNS |
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| Softbank's main gun Kondo ranked second in annual salary after Murakami. He ranked first in home run-run average last year and first in batting average this year. Photo capture = Softbank Hawks SNS |
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| Yomiuri No. 4 hitter Okamoto. It renewed its contract for 540 million yen, up 120 million yen from last year. Photo capture =Miuri Giants SNS |
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2025 and again this year 'Annual Salary King'
Yakult Swallows' 'Monetaka Murakami (25) ranked No. 1 in the annual salary of Japanese professional baseball players for the second consecutive year. Murakami signed a three-year contract at the end of the 2022 season. He signed a multi-year contract even though he was not a free agent (FA) that winter, when he set a new record for the most home runs by a Japanese player in a season by hitting 56 home runs. It signed an annual salary of 600 million yen (about 5.63 billion won) and a total of 1.8 billion yen. Last year, he was tied for first place with Yomiuri Giants infielder Hayato Sakamoto (37), but he rose to first place alone.
The last year of a three-year contract. At the end of this season, he will challenge Major League Baseball through the posting system. It was agreed with the club while signing a three-year contract. Next year, when he turns 26 years old, he will be able to sign a large contract regardless of Major League Baseball's '25 rule'.
Last year, he hit 33 home runs - 86 RBIs. After 2022, he ranked first in home runs and RBIs in the Central League for the first time in two years. Despite the trend of 'throwing and hitting,' he exceeded 30 home runs for the second consecutive year.
In 2023, Yamamoto Yoshinobu (27, LA Dodgers) ranked first with 650 million yen (about 6.1 billion won). Murakami took first place for the first time last year, when Yamamoto left Orix Buffaloes' 'Super Ace'.
Softbank Hawks' Kondo Kenske (32) and Yomiuri Giants' No. 4 hitter Kazuma Okamoto (29) followed in second to third place. Kondo will receive 550 million yen (about 5.16 billion won) and Okamoto will receive 540 million yen (about 5.07 billion won). Okamoto increased from 420 million yen to 120 million yen. Okamoto is also likely to challenge for the Major League after the end of this season.
The first to third place are hitters who have won the home run title over the past two years. Kondo ranked No. 1 in home run-run-on-base percentage in the Pacific League in 2023 and No. 1 in batting average-on-base percentage in 2024. Okamoto is the home run king of the Central League in 2020, 2021 and 2023.
Yomiuri's Sakamoto, Yakult's Tetsuto Yamada, 33, and Rakuten Eagles' Hideto Asamura, 35, tied for fourth. 올해 연봉
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| Yomiuri's veteran infielder Sakamoto. Photo capture=Miuri Giants SNS |
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| Yakurt infielder Yamada. He is tied for fourth overall with an annual salary of 500 million yen this season. Photo capture = Yakult Swallows SNS |
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It costs 500 million yen (about 4.7 billion won). Last year, Sakamoto, tied for first place, fell to fourth place by 100 million yen.
Three Softbank players follow in 7-9th place. Yuki Yanagita (37) is 470 million yen (about 4.41 billion won), Hotaka Yamakawa (34) is 450 million yen (about 4.22 billion won), and Kohei Arihara (33) is 400 million yen (about 3.75 billion won). Yamakawa rose from 300 million yen to 150 million yen. In his first year after moving from the Seibu Lions, he won the Pacific League home run-run title.
Yanagita, under a long-term contract, received 620 million yen in 2023 and 570 million yen last year. This year, 100 million yen was lost from last year's salary.
Orix's Tomoya Mori (30) is tied for ninth with Arihara with 400 million yen. Mori moved from Seibu to Orix in the 2022 offseason. Many of the top-ranked players in annual salaries are multi-year contract players.
Among the annual salary Top 10, Softbank has the largest number of players with four. Kondo, Yamakawa, and Arihara joined Softbank as FA.
There is something that stands out. Of the top 10 players, only one pitcher is Arihara. The picture does not fit the trend of 'throwers' that pitchers have been raging in recent years.
There is a reason. Major pitchers representing the league fly to the Major League every year. Last year, Shota Yamamoto and Imanaga (32, Chicago Cubs), Yuki Matsui
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| Rakuten's leading hitter photo cap Asamura. Cheo = Rakuten Eagles SNS |
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| Softbank Arihara is the only pitcher with an annual salary of "Top 10". He clearly showed his presence in the second year of his return to the Major League. Photo capture = Softbank Hawks SNS |
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(30, San Diego Padres) left for the United States. Yamamoto and Imana went through the posting system. In 2023, Softbank ace Senga Godai (31, New York Mets) went to the Major League. Arihara is also a pitcher who started with the Nippon-Ham Fighters, threw for two years in the Major League, and returned to Japan.
Pitchers will continue to go to the U.S. this year. Yomiuri ace Tomoyuki Sugano (36) signed a one-year, $13 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles. Sugano won 15 games this season, becoming the fourth most wins in his career. If he remained in the Yomiuri, the highest salary would have been possible. Sugano once hit up to 720 million yen (about 6.75 billion won) in Japanese professional baseball. It has fallen to 400 million yen last year as it has slowed down over the past few years. 'Monster Pitcher' Rocky Sasaki (23) is also in the process of advancing to the Major League.
Darvish Yu (39, San Diego), Shohei Ohtani (31, LA Dodgers), Kenta Maeda (37, Detroit Tigers), and Yusei Kikuchi (34, LA Angels), who commanded the Japanese professional baseball league, are active in the major leagues.
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| Sugano, who won his fourth career multiple victories in the 2024 season. Signed with Baltimore for one year-13 million. Photo capture =Miuri Giants SNS |
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| Yamamoto, who moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers through the posting system last year, topped the overall salary with 650 million yen in 2023. Photo capture = LA Dodgers SNS |
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Softbank, the winner of this year's Pacific League, had the largest number of players with an annual salary of more than 100 million yen with 14. On the other hand, Chiba Lotte Marines has four players with more than 100 million yen. 200 million yen is the highest salary.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
