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. His completed 2026 regular season, however, offered only a glimpse: two first-team appearances, 7 2/3 scoreless innings, seven strikeouts and no walks, with no decisions. That produced a 0.00 ERA, but not enough innings to qualify for the league rankings or to justify treating the rate as a full-season achievement. He was 28 by season's end, and the story of the year is the limited workload rather than the spotless ERA. The forkball remains his calling card; a larger body of innings is what the final line cannot supply.