SATO

Triple-Crown Threat Teruaki Sato Raises Profile in Japan and Beyond

BY ED ODEVEN

In the fifth and sixth (current) seasons of his Nippon Professional Baseball career, Teruaki Sato has played in 276 games (through September 30) for the Hanshin Tigers. The Hanshin Tigers third baseman has mashed 78 home runs in that span, more than any other professional player in Japan.

And as of this writing, lively banter about his chances of winning the Central League’s Triple Crown have enlivened discussions about the Tigers and Japanese baseball at-large.

Sato, 27, is the powerful cleanup hitter for the pennant-chasing Tigers, who were the Japan Series runners-up in 2025.

With five games remaining, first-place Hanshin (77-58-1) holds a two game lead over the archrival Yomiuri Giants. If Sato stays healthy and continues doing what he’s been doing all season, he should emerge as the Triple Crown winner.

The Hyogo Prefecture native is the CL leader in batting average (.316) and sits atop the statistical chart for homers (38) and RBIs (102). He’s also bashed 39 doubles in 513 at-bats, and has a robust .626 slugging percentage in 137 games in 2026.

Tigers teammate Shota Morishita is second in batting (.295) and homers (35), Morishita is also second in RBIs ahead of another Hanshin teammate Yusuke Ohyama (84) and the Giants’ Bobby Dalbec, a former MLB player, in RBIs (82).

So, in essence, it boils down to this: Will Sato keep hitting homers the rest of the way? And/or will Morishita go on a tear in the final weeks of the season?

For those keeping score at home, Sato could become the second player in the Central League to win the Triple Crown in the 21st century.

Former Tokyo Yakult Swallows star Munetaka Murakami, now starring at first base for the Chicago White Sox, claimed the Triple Crown in 2022, at the ripe old age of 22, when he finished with a .318 average, 56 homers and 134 RBIs.

Sato, a fixture in the Hanshin lineup since 2021 (appearing in 120 or more games every year), recently told reporters that he’s focused on the game in front of him, not on pursuing individual glory. In other words, he’s not obsessed with the Triple Crown.

“There’s still a long way to go. I want to stay focused on every single at-bat,” Sato was quoted as saying by Nikkan Sports, one of Japan’s national daily sports newspapers.

The 6-foot-1 slugger was the Central League monthly batting MVP for March/April. In 27 games, he hit at a .376 clip with seven round-trippers and 25 RBIs. He had a .743 slugging percentage.

Sato repeated as CL MVP in May. In 25 games, he batted .363 with seven homers and drove in 14 runs. His May slugging percentage: .670.

The entirety of the 2026 NPB season to date has provided clear-cut evidence that Sato’s 2025 CL MVP-winning season (.277 and career-best totals of 40 homers and 102 RBIs) wasn’t a fluke. He’s even better in 2026.

This season represents the latest chapter of Sato’s maturation as a player, proving that he’s taken his game to another level since the start of 2025.

During the first four seasons of his pro career, Sato hit .238, .264, .263 and .268. His homer totals: 24, 20, 24 and 16.

Teruaki Sato’s development curve as a player has attracted the attention of MLB front-office executives and scouts. For example, New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns attended the Tigers’ road game against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows on Sept. 3.

Scouts from “more 10 MLB teams” were also at the three-game series (September 1-3), Sankei Sports, another Japanese-language daily publication, reported.

“His power is top-notch. I think he’s the kind of player everyone really wants, and we’re heading into a bidding war for him,” one MLB scout was quoted as saying by Sankei Sports. “Following (Kazuma) Okamoto (Blue Jays) and Murakami (White Sox), he’ll be the next hub in the (transfer market).”

Sato went 3-for-4 with Stearns at the Tokyo ballpark, smacking a solo homer in the third and clouting a two-run blast in the fifth in the Tigers’ 7-4 victory at Jingu Stadium.

When it was over, the potent left-handed hitter described what happened in the fifth, when he belted his 34th homer of the year.

“I hit a cutter,” Sato told reporters, referencing his fifth-inning blast. “I was focused on sticking to my swing, so I’m glad I was able to make good contact. I’ll keep giving it my all until the very end to help us win games.”

The Mets, of course, aren’t the only MLB club keeping tabs on Sato. It’s been reported that the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers are among the other teams doing the same thing.

There’s another option that could come sooner for Sato ― getting the Hanshin Tigers to grant him permission to move to the majors via the posting system. But there’s no guarantee that the team will do so.

Will Sato be wearing a Major League Baseball uniform in 2027?

The rules governing player contracts in Japan could prevent that from happening. Sato won’t become a free agent until he plays nine seasons in NP, meaning the 2029 offseason. Free agency is the green light for players in Japan to pursue deals with MLB clubs.

There’s another option that could come sooner for Sato ― getting the Hanshin Tigers to grant him permission to move to the majors via the posting system. But there’s no guarantee that the team will do so.

Murakami, to cite one example, left the Swallows after eight seasons, with the CL club fulfilling its promise to post him after the 2025 campaign. The Swallows received a posting fee of $6,575,000 from Chicago. And the hefty slugger signed a two-year contract for $34 million.

Murakami entered the majors at age 26. Sato will turn 28 in March 2027.

Adding to the intrigue of Sato’s skills and how they’d translate to MLB was his solid performance at the 2026 World Baseball Classic for Japan.

During the national team’s five WBC games, Sato was 3-for-10, including a double, and walked three times. He demonstrated the power of his swing, MLB.com reported, noting all three of his hits traveled more than 100 mph.

Hanshin’s overall success and consistency have been hallmarks of the 2026 NPB season. In addition to Sato’s success in the batter’s box, southpaw starter Haruto Takahashi (16-3, 1.87 ERA) has generated a plethora of headlines and excitement. And veteran right-hander Shoki Murakami has a 10-9 record with a 1.85 ERA.

Victory after victory has provided plenty of thrills for Tigers fans.

During games, Hanshin supporters root enthusiastically for Sato, a native of Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, the team’s home city. And sometimes in defeat, there are still special moments to cheer and clap for Sato.

On September 6, the visiting Yokohama DeNA BayStars beat the Tigers, 4-1, at Koshien Stadium. Hanshin scored its lone run via Sato’s fourth-inning solo blast to right-center off starter Yu Takeda.

Tokyo Sports highlighted Sato’s run-producing at-bat in its game recap. “His 35th home run of the season — the most in the Central League — sent the crowd into a frenzy during the rain-soaked game,” the newspaper reported.

Throughout the season, Sato has displayed resilience as a player, according to Tigers manager Kyuji Fujikawa, a former Chicago Cubs (2013-14) and Texas Rangers (2015) relief pitcher.

Case in point: Sato committed two errors in the aforementioned game against the Swallows with Stearns in attendance.

Noting the pair of fielding miscues, Fujikawa told reporters: “He’ll sleep on it tonight, forget about it, and come back to Koshien. He’ll play with high aspirations again.”

Another day, another game.

“What happened during the game is already over,” Fujikawa, who’s in his second season as dugout boss, was quoted as saying by Daily Sports. “Delivering a victory to the fans is more important than anything else — there’s nothing more important than that.”

Was Teruaki Sato a more disciplined hitter in September 2026 than he was in, say, October 2025?

Absolutely. The statistics provide proof.

In his MVP-winning 2025 season, Sato fanned 163 times in 597 at-bats. Through Sept. 30, he’s struck out 156 times in 588 plate appearances, and he sits in pole position on Triple Crown Boulevard.

During the Swallows-Tigers series, another MLB scout analyzed Sato’s adjustments at the plate this season.

“Compared to early spring, his plate discipline has improved, and he’s better at discerning pitches,” the scout said, according to Sankei Sports. “He’s stopped swinging and missing inside sliders. It’s impressive to see how he selects pitches he can hit and approaches the batter’s box with a clear strategy.”