Livan Moinelo has established himself as one of the premier pitchers in NPB, successfully transitioning from elite reliever to frontline starter. The Cuban left-hander spent years dominating in a bullpen role before SoftBank looked internally to replace Kodai Senga in the rotation. Moinelo succeeded all expectations, showcasing the depth of his arsenal and proving that his smaller frame could handle the workload of a starting role and maintain effectiveness throughout outings.

While he no longer features the consistent mid-90s velocity he showed as a reliever, the overall package has evolved. In 2023, he sat around 95 mph on his fastball in shorter stints and could reach 97-98 mph in limited innings. 

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As a starter, that velocity has backed up a touch, now sitting two ticks lower. However, it has still performed well in NPB. As an average-to-above-average four-seam fastball, climbing the ladder when needed. Along with two to three offerings grading comfortably in the 55-60 range.

Moinelo’s 2025 season culminated in a Pacific League MVP, underscoring just how dominant he was on a per-start basis. He did not match Hiromi Itoh’s overall workload; Moinelo was electric every time he took the ball. His ability to miss bats and navigate lineups multiple times has solidified him as a true top-end arm in Japan and one of the most complete pitchers in NPB.

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Brandon Tew

Brandon Tew

Prospects| NPB| Pitching guy| Brandon Tew is an operations analyst for Sports Info Solutions, a sports analytics company that has been in business providing data to MLB teams and media since 2003. Visit their website at SportsInfoSolutions.com