Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Yoshinobu Yamamoto

26-Year-Old PitcherSP
Los Angeles Dodgers
2025 Fantasy Outlook
The Japanese right-hander's MLB career got off to a rocky start as he surrendered five runs in one frame during his debut against the Padres, but he posted a 2.34 ERA in his next 13 starts before landing on the injured list with a rotator cuff strain. Yamamoto returned down the stretch for eight starts between the regular season and playoffs, during which he had a 3.64 ERA to help the Dodgers win the World Series. He had a 105:22 K:BB across 90 innings during the regular season, so the skills of a low-end SP1 are there, he just hasn't shown that he can log SP1-caliber innings yet. He is likely to open 2025 as the Dodgers' ace since Shohei Ohtani's left shoulder surgery will delay his return to the mound, and Yamamoto's strikeout ability and potential for wins will once again make him a hot commodity come draft day. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Rest of Season From Preseason
#67
ADP
$Signed a six-year, $155 million contract with the Dodgers in December of 2023. Contract includes two-year, $58 million player option for 2030 and 2031 seasons. Contract includes four-year, $112 million player option for 2032 through 2035 seasons. Contract includes $10 million team option for 2036 if Yamamoto suffers an elbow injury between the 2024 and 2029 seasons.
Dazzles with seven shutout innings
PLos Angeles Dodgers
April 18, 2025
Yamamoto (3-1) allowed five hits and struck out 10 without walking a batter over seven shutout innings to earn the win Friday over the Rangers.
ANALYSIS
Yamamoto has rung up 10 strikeouts in two of his five starts so far. He hasn't allowed an earned run over his last three outings, giving up just one unearned run, 10 hits and four walks across 19 innings in that span. For the season, he's been stellar with 0.93 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 38:7 K:BB over 29 innings. Yamamoto largely lived up to the hype in his MLB debut season last year, and 2025 is shaping up to be even better for the 26-year-old right-hander. His next start is projected to be at home versus the Pirates, which is a favorable matchup.
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Pitching Stats
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2025
2024
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
93
Last 10 Games
93
Last 5 Games
93
How many pitches does Yoshinobu Yamamoto generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does Yoshinobu Yamamoto generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2023
 
 
-29%
BAA vs LHP
2025
 
 
-38%
BAA vs LHP
2024
 
 
-27%
BAA vs LHP
2023
No Stats
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2023vs Left .179 235 71 20 38 7 1 2
Since 2023vs Right .253 241 72 9 58 20 1 7
2025vs Left .137 56 20 5 7 3 0 0
2025vs Right .220 52 18 2 11 3 0 2
2024vs Left .193 179 51 15 31 4 1 2
2024vs Right .263 189 54 7 47 17 1 5
2023vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2023
 
 
-53%
ERA on Road
2025
 
 
-70%
ERA on Road
2024
 
 
-47%
ERA on Road
2023
No Stats
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2023Home 3.45 1.12 57.1 4 1 0 11.6 1.9 1.1
Since 2023Away 1.61 0.99 61.2 6 2 0 10.1 2.5 0.3
2025Home 1.64 0.91 11.0 1 0 0 15.5 2.5 1.6
2025Away 0.50 0.83 18.0 2 1 0 9.5 2.0 0.0
2024Home 3.88 1.17 46.1 3 1 0 10.7 1.7 1.0
2024Away 2.06 1.05 43.2 4 1 0 10.3 2.7 0.4
2023Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Yoshinobu Yamamoto compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
5.43
 
K/9
11.8
 
BB/9
2.2
 
HR/9
0.6
 
Fastball
95.6 mph
 
ERA
0.93
 
WHIP
0.86
 
BABIP
.268
 
GB/FB
4.00
 
Left On Base
94.6%
 
Exit Velocity
80.5 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
2.8%
 
Spin Rate
2221 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
21.3%
 
Swinging Strike
13.9%
 
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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2024 Fantasy Outlook
For the third consecutive year, Yamamoto won the Eiji Sawamura Award, Japan's equivalent of the Cy Young. He did it in 2023 on the strength of a 1.16 ERA and 176 strikeouts in 171 innings spanning 24 appearances, including a no-hitter in front of notable MLB executives in September. The Orix Buffaloes posted the right-hander for MLB teams this winter and an unprecedented bidding war ensued, with Yamamoto ultimately signing with the Dodgers for 12 years and $325 million, the largest contract ever for a pitcher. Still just 25 years old, Yamamoto features a mid-90s fastball and three secondary pitches highlighted by the splitter, all helped immensely by exceptional command. There is already considerable hype and that may be boosted slightly by recency bias after Kodai Senga made the transition to the majors look easy last season. Yamamoto could enter SP1 range in drafts come springtime.
More Fantasy News
Fans nine in Friday's win
PLos Angeles Dodgers
April 12, 2025
Yamamoto (2-1) picked up the win Friday, scattering two hits and a walk over six scoreless innings in a 3-0 victory over the Cubs. He struck out nine.
ANALYSIS
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No run support in tough-luck loss
PLos Angeles Dodgers
April 4, 2025
Yamamoto (1-1) took the loss after allowing an unearned run on three hits and three walks in six innings Friday against Philadelphia. He struck out five.
ANALYSIS
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Fans 10 in no-decision
PLos Angeles Dodgers
March 29, 2025
Yamamoto came away with a no-decision in Friday's 8-5 extra-inning win over the Tigers, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out 10.
ANALYSIS
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Notches win in Tokyo
PLos Angeles Dodgers
March 18, 2025
Yamamoto (1-0) earned the win Tuesday against the Cubs in Tokyo after giving up one run on three hits and one walk across five innings. He struck out four.
ANALYSIS
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Starting Game 1 in Japan
PLos Angeles Dodgers
March 11, 2025
Yamamoto will start March 18 against the Cubs in the first game of the Tokyo Series, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Adjusts glove positioning
PLos Angeles Dodgers
April 11, 2024
According to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, Yamamoto has tweaked his glove positioning when pitching out of the stretch after it was noticed during spring training that he was tipping pitches.
ANALYSIS
The Japanese right-hander struggled to an 8.38 ERA during spring training and was uncomfortable with the glove adjustment he made during his MLB debut March 21 in Korea, when he lasted just one inning and surrendered five runs against San Diego. Yamamoto has since reverted to a more familiar glove position he used back in Japan, and the results speak for themselves in his past two starts with a 13:2 K:BB across 10 scoreless frames. The 25-year-old is sure to endure many more ups-and-downs as he makes the transition to Major League Baseball, but he's already flashed the potential that landed him his six-year, $155 million contract with the Dodgers in December.
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