Kenta Maeda, baseball player, 2016

Kenta Maeda

Born: 4/11/1988 in Osaka, Osaka, Japan

MLB Debut: 2016-04-06

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 185 lbs

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Biography

Kenta Maeda is a professional pitcher who has made a significant impact in Major League Baseball since beginning his career in 2016. Born in 1988, Maeda quickly established himself as a reliable presence on the mound, showcasing a blend of finesse and power that has made him a valuable asset to his teams. With a career record of 68-56 and an earned run average (ERA) of 4.17, he demonstrates a consistent ability to compete at a high level, striking out 1,047 batters while also contributing with 6 saves throughout his career. As an active player, Maeda continues to influence the game with his strategic pitching style and adaptability. His journey from Japanese baseball to the MLB reflects the growing trend of international talent shaping the league's landscape. Known for his effective repertoire that combines a diverse range of pitches, he remains a key figure in both the starting rotation and the bullpen, exemplifying the versatility that modern pitchers are expected to possess. As he progresses in his career, Maeda's contributions to the game resonate not only with fans but also with aspiring pitchers looking to make their mark in professional baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
68 56 226 172 0 0 6 986.7 873 460 142 285 1055 4.20 0

Career ERA 4.20 vs. league average 4.26 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
2016 LAD NL 16 11 32 32 0 0 0 175.7 150 68 50 179 3.48 4.19 (+17%) -
2017 LAD NL 13 6 29 25 0 0 1 134.3 121 63 34 140 4.22 4.36 (+3%) -
2018 LAD NL 8 10 39 20 0 0 2 125.3 115 53 43 153 3.81 4.15 (+8%) -
2019 LAD NL 10 8 37 26 0 0 3 153.7 114 69 51 169 4.04 4.51 (+10%) -
2020 MIN AL 6 1 11 11 0 0 0 66.7 40 20 10 80 2.70 4.45 (+39%) 2461.4
2021 MIN AL 6 5 21 21 0 0 0 106.3 106 55 32 113 4.66 4.27 (-9%) 446.8
2023 MIN AL 6 8 21 20 0 0 0 104.3 94 49 28 117 4.23 4.33 (+2%) 825.7
2024 DET AL 3 7 29 17 0 0 0 112.3 124 76 31 96 6.09 4.08 (-49%) -2547.5
2025 DET AL 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 8.0 9 7 6 8 7.88 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
238 179 12 28 4 0 1 14 0 1 42 0.156 0.161 0.196 0.357 -546.7

Career AVG .156 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — 37.1% below league average.

Career OBP .161 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — 49.5% below league average.

Career SLG .196 vs. league average .415 across their career seasons — 52.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.357 vs. league average 0.734 across their career seasons — 51.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
2016 LAD NL 35 57 5 7 1 0 1 4 0 1 16 0.123 .255 (-52%) .321 (-57%) .417 (-54%) .738 (-55%) -546.7
2017 LAD NL 30 39 2 5 1 0 0 4 0 0 3 0.128 — — — — 0.0
2018 LAD NL 41 32 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0.094 — — — — 0.0
2019 LAD NL 41 48 3 12 2 0 0 6 0 0 13 0.250 — — — — 0.0
2020 MIN AL 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2021 MIN AL 23 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.333 — — — — 0.0
2023 MIN AL 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2024 DET AL 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2025 DET AL 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
26 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.333

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2023 ALDS2 MIN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2020 ALWC3 MIN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2019 NLDS1 LAN 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2018 NLCS LAN 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2018 NLDS2 LAN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2018 WS LAN 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2017 NLCS LAN 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2017 NLDS1 LAN 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
2017 WS LAN 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2016 NLCS LAN 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.500
2016 NLDS2 LAN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 1 26 4 0 39.7 33 14 17 46 3.18

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2023 ALDS2 MIN 0 0 1 0 0 2.0 4 2 2 2 9.00
2020 ALWC3 MIN 0 0 1 1 0 5.0 2 0 3 5 0.00
2019 NLDS1 LAN 0 0 4 0 0 4.7 1 0 0 7 0.00
2018 NLCS LAN 0 0 4 0 0 2.7 3 2 1 3 6.75
2018 NLDS2 LAN 0 0 1 0 0 1.0 2 0 0 1 0.00
2018 WS LAN 0 0 3 0 0 3.0 4 1 2 6 3.00
2017 NLCS LAN 1 0 3 0 0 3.0 0 0 0 3 0.00
2017 NLDS1 LAN 1 0 2 0 0 2.0 0 0 0 4 0.00
2017 WS LAN 0 0 4 0 0 5.7 5 1 2 3 1.59
2016 NLCS LAN 0 0 2 2 0 7.7 7 4 5 8 4.70
2016 NLDS2 LAN 0 1 1 1 0 3.0 5 4 2 4 12.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 226 172 66 108 13 16

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
2016 LAN P 32 32 17 24 3 4
2017 LAN P 29 25 11 15 3 3
2018 LAN P 39 20 4 18 1 1
2019 LAN P 37 26 11 18 1 3
2020 MIN P 11 11 1 11 1 0
2021 MIN P 21 21 6 10 1 2
2023 MIN P 21 20 2 2 1 0
2024 DET P 29 17 13 10 2 3
2025 DET P 7 0 1 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 226
Designated Hitter 1

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
2020 All-MLB Team - Second Team SP

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2016 LAN NL $3,125,000
Total Career Earnings $3,125,000

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
2020 Cy Young Award AL 2nd 92.0 210 0
2016 Rookie of the Year NL 3rd 37.0 150 0