A Complete Breakdown of Yomiuri Giants Honorees on Spolert!

Fuji TV’s iconic program すぽると！ features one of the most respected player-voted rankings in Japanese baseball:

“100 Players’ No.1”

Active professional players vote for the opponent they genuinely believe is the best in a specific skill category.
It’s not media hype. It’s peer recognition.

Here, we extract only winners from the Yomiuri Giants, organizing them by pitching and hitting categories — plus an all-time ranking by number of recognitions.

---

■ Pitching Categories — Giants Winners

◆ Fastball Division

Year	Player	Why He Won
2024	Taisei Ota	Elite life, swing-and-miss rate, explosive carry

Taisei’s heater is often described as

“Faster than the radar gun says.”

Velocity alone didn’t win it — deception and late life did.

---

◆ Breaking Ball Division

Year	Player	Pitch
2025	Eito Tanaka	Shoot (two-seam variant)

Tanaka became the first pitcher ever to win the category with a shoot.
His inside movement against left-handed hitters created uncomfortable at-bats league-wide.

---

◆ Overall Pitching Recognition (Past Era)

Era	Player	Evaluation Focus
2017–2019	Tomoyuki Sugano	Complete command & difficulty to hit

Sugano wasn’t a one-pitch wonder.
He accumulated votes based on total polish and repeatability.

---

■ Batting Categories — Giants Winners

◆ Bat Control / Technical Hitting

Era	Player	Strength
2017–2019	Hayato Sakamoto	Opposite-field mastery, elite contact
Early 2010s	Shinnosuke Abe	Clutch performance, situational hitting

Sakamoto stands as the most decorated Giants position player in this ranking’s history.

His swing reproducibility and ability to drive the ball the other way earned deep peer respect.

---

◆ Power Hitters

Era	Player	Notes
2020s	Kazuma Okamoto	Frequent top finishes, no No.1 yet

Okamoto’s intimidation factor is undeniable.
However, in technique-focused voting years, players like Kensuke Kondoh and Masataka Yoshida (outside the Giants) have captured more ballots.

---

🏆 All-Time Giants “100 Players’ No.1” Ranking

🥇 1st — Hayato Sakamoto (Multiple Wins)

• Dominated bat-control categories
• Considered the most technically respected Giants hitter
• Elite repeatability and opposite-field precision

👉 The franchise’s most decorated position player in this ranking.

---

🥈 2nd — Tomoyuki Sugano (Multiple High Finishes / No.1 Years)

• Consistent votes for overall pitching excellence
• Symbol of command-based dominance

👉 Represents the “complete pitcher” era.

---

🥉 3rd — Taisei Ota (1 Win)

• 2024 Fastball Division winner
• Modern high-spin, high-carry profile

---

4th — Eito Tanaka (1 Win)

• 2025 Breaking Ball Division (Shoot)
• Historic first win with that pitch type

---

5th — Shinnosuke Abe (Frequent High Finishes)

• Strong recognition for clutch hitting
• Technical respect among peers

---

Era-Based Trends

Period	Giants’ Strength
Sugano Era	Complete pitching dominance
Recent Years	Specialized pitch quality (fastball / breaking ball)
Batting	Technical excellence (Sakamoto archetype)

---

What Patterns Do We See?

① Giants Pitchers Win on “Quality,” Not Flash

Late life. Precision. Discomfort.
Not just radar numbers.

② Giants Hitters Win on “Technique”

Sakamoto-type reproducibility > pure power.

③ Recent Struggles in Offensive No.1 Categories

With technical masters across the league, Giants hitters have had fewer outright wins in recent seasons.

---

Who Could Be Next?

• Young power arms (e.g., emerging rotation candidates like Takemaru)
• Okamoto — if batting average climbs alongside power
• Defensive specialists if new categories expand

---

Final Assessment

Historically, the Giants have been recognized for:

• Pitching = Quality and polish
• Hitting = Technique and repeatability

The next challenge?

Reclaiming the No.1 spot in a hitting category during an era dominated by high-contact specialists.

If that happens, it won’t just reflect individual excellence.
It will signal a shift in the franchise’s identity once again. ⚾