Kenta Maeda, Starting Pitcher, Minnesota Twins

Date of Birth: 4/11/1988
Birthplace: Osaka, Japan

Kenta Maeda, starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins, played professional baseball in Japan from 2008 through 2015. He won five Gold Gloves (2010, 2012-2015), the NPB All-Star Game MVP award in 2012, and the Sawamura Award for best pitcher in the NPB league in 2010 and 2015. As a Japanese player, he had a 2.39 ERA, 97-67 win-loss record, and 1,233 strikeouts to 319 walks in 1,509.2 innings in 218 games.

Maeda signed an eight-year, $25 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on January 7, 2016. He finished the 2016 season with a 3.48 ERA in 32 games. He had 16 wins and 11 losses and 179 strikeouts to 50 walks in 175.2 innings. In the postseason, he pitched 10.2 innings in 3 games and he gave up 12 hits and 8 runs.

Maeda pitched in 25 games as a starter and 4 games as a reliever in 2017. He finished the season with 13 wins and 6 losses, 1 save, 140 strikeouts to 34 walks, and a 4.22 ERA. In the postseason, he pitched 10.2 innings in 9 games as a relief pitcher. He gave up 5 hits, including a home run, and just 1 run. He struck out 10 batters and walked 2. He had 2 wins and no losses and a 0.66 ERA.

Maeda again worked from the starting rotation and the bullpen in 2018. He finished the season with 8 wins and 10 losses, 153 strikeouts to 43 walks, and a 3.81 ERA in 125.1 innings in 39 games. In the postseason, he pitched 6.2 innings in 8 games and he gave up 9 hits and 3 runs.

Maeda spent time on the DL in 2019 with a left adductor contusion. He finished the season with 10 wins and 8 losses, 169 strikeouts to 51 walks, and a 4.04 ERA in 153.2 innings in 37 games. In the postseason, he pitched 4.2 innings in 4 games and he gave up 1 hit and no runs. He struck out 7 batters and walked none.

The Dodgers traded Maeda to the Twins on February 10, 2020. He pitched in 11 games in 2020, and he finished the season with 6 wins and 1 loss, 80 strikeouts to 10 walks, and a 2.70 ERA in 66.2 innings.

Maeda spent time on the IL in 2021. He finished the season with 6 wins and 5 losses, 113 strikeouts to 32 walks, and a 4.66 ERA in 106.1 innings in 21 games. He had Tommy John surgery in September, 2021.

Career pitching statistics for Maeda through 2021 include:

• 169 games played
• 762.0 innings pitched
• 59-41 win-loss record
• 834 strikeouts to 220 walks
• 3.87 ERA

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Kenta Maeda
Baseball Reference - Kenta Maeda