In Japan, baseball is unforgiving. If you don’t produce, they take you out. If you hesitate, they run over you. And if you come with a reputation and don’t deliver, they show you the door. But there are guys who don’t just earn respect. There are guys who earn the right to command. Liván Moinelo is one of those guys. Many thought it was risky when SoftBank decided to make him a starter.
After years of being one of the most reliable relievers on the circuit, the Cuban changed his routine, changed his plan… but he didn’t change his quality. He maintained it. And in 2025, he took it even further. Moinelo hasn’t lost in ten starts this year.
The lefty has been impeccable on the mound: 5-0, 1.30 ERA, 76 strikeouts, and a WHIP that barely reaches 0.87. Last year, in the same stretch, he also shined: 3-2, 1.70 ERA, 62 strikeouts, and a 0.89 WHIP. But what we’re seeing now is a pitcher who dominates, who imposes, who isn’t in adaptation mode but in total control mode.
The most impressive thing is how he beats you. He has a lively fastball that explodes in the strike zone, his changeup takes the bat out of your hands, his slider is killer and that curveball, folks, that curveball is a plus pitch that comes down like a silent guillotine. He throws everything with intention. He throws everything with command. And you know what all this says? That he’s more mature and polished.
Moinelo striking out more (29.3% strikeout rate vs. 23.5% in 2024), walking less (6.2% BB% vs. 7.9%), and he’s already had two outings with ten or more strikeouts. The guy is in the zone. Yes, batters have hit a little more against him (.183 vs. .169), but that doesn’t matter if it doesn’t translate into runs. And it hasn’t. Because Moinelo gets into trouble less often. Because he solves them faster.
Because he doesn’t waste pitches. It must be said, though: it’s a shame that Moinelo, at his peak, doesn’t compete against the best in the world in the Major Leagues. But in the end, that was his choice. And mind you, he’s not exactly playing for peanuts in Japan. His contract with SoftBank is one of the largest ever awarded to a foreigner in the history of Japanese baseball.
In Fukuoka, they treat him like what he is: a star. Many people say there are good starting pitchers in NPB. And it’s true. But there are few left-handers with this combination of talent, skill, and mentality. Moinelo has it all. He has the composure, he has the respect of the dugout, he has the arsenal and he has the final say.