Yuki Yanagita and same-year rival Sakamoto: a 700-hit career gap — 5ch: “He might catch up on everything except hits”

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Yuki Yanagita’s career stats became a hot topic on a 5ch live-thread. Compared with Giants infielder Hayato Sakamoto, who’s in the same age bracket, data showing Yanagita trailing by nearly 700 career hits — while running neck-and-neck in home runs and RBIs — got the thread buzzing.

Opinions were split, though: some voiced concern over his shrinking number of games played and his odds of Meikyukai (Golden Players Club) induction, while others praised his high on-base percentage.

1Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:10:52.47ID:ID:wZh0FJx40
Wait, is that really okay?
11Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:14:35.42ID:Gsf7Bi6A0
Who'd have guessed neither Yanagita nor Yamada would reach 2000 career hits
15Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:17:47.04ID:hQG68CBq0
>>11
Guess he figured it's fine since he already got paid big money
44Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:38:08.90ID:ESBF65aD0
>>11
Yamada aside, it was obvious early on that Yanagita wasn't gonna make it
12Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:14:58.75ID:Co3RdSLaM
The Meikyukai (Golden Players Club) that lets Raidel Martinez in but not Yanagita
37Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:35:16.50ID:jd11y/nu0
>>12
Rai-Maru's definitely a star though
117Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 10:40:04.69ID:YJ87UuFW0
>>12
This year alone Masuda, Rai-Maru, and Yasuaki are all hitting 250 saves for Meikyukai induction
20Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:22:00.82ID:e+YiGAHr0
If he keeps grinding he could still reach 2000 hits though
27Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:25:27.68ID:emsvaFAe0
>>20
Another 5 years or so?
21Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:22:05.96ID:1o2oyey40
Same age as Sakamoto but a 1000-hit gap in career total, that's insane
22Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:22:21.08ID:jpzLKO390
>>21
Sakamoto's just ridiculously good, nothing new there
32Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:32:05.07ID:4BAe44yK0
>>21
"Hits"
Sakamoto 2463, Yanagita 1719
"Home runs"
Sakamoto 302, Yanagita 281
"RBI"
Sakamoto 1071, Yanagita 950
"Stolen bases"
Sakamoto 163, Yanagita 162
"Batting average"
Sakamoto .285, Yanagita .311

He might actually catch up in everything except hits
90Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 10:19:32.53ID:qSJJ3EeB0
>>21
Right now he's in way better shape than Sakamoto, honestly
26Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:25:25.79ID:1AZoXByt0
Guys like this and Itoi always end up with stats that look unimpressive
52Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:47:41.45ID:mSDifvz80
>>26
His home run power is on a completely different level than Itoi's
55Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:51:41.51ID:iBKtHyVU0
>>26
He's still clearly above Itoi, come on
28Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:26:38.96ID:1xSi+2Dk0
Yanagita wasn't really about technique, he just full-swung his way into homers
Watching someone like Murakami actually makes you appreciate real skill
33Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:32:39.29ID:th1W0pnf0
>>28
Hitting .300 off a full swing like that is basically genius though
40Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:36:17.06ID:ElEuDoKG0
The moment he chose to be the big fish in a small pond at a popular small-market team instead of trying for the majors, he gave up on ambition
43Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:37:02.90ID:T23jaqq40
>>40
And there's today's designated Nippon-Ham (Fighters) fan showing up right on cue
47Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:40:08.13ID:/vLdcKTzM
Who's actually better, him or Matsunaka?
50Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:43:12.33ID:2wYoW9s30
>>47
It's almost disrespectful to even compare them
58Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:56:55.77ID:4/3O+Roi0
>>47
They're about even right now

Yanagita: https://npb.jp/bis/players/31835133.html
Matsunaka: https://npb.jp/bis/players/61063884.html

If he plays again next year he'll probably pass him in hits
59Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:57:16.87ID:rQlruPf50
>>52
So you're saying Itoi's better?
They're both about the same tier honestly
64Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 09:59:26.65ID:mSDifvz80
>>59
Itoi: career-high 19 HR
Yanagita: career-high 36 HR (30+ three times, 20+ seven times)
74Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 10:06:44.62ID:k/Cpam7n0
>>71
He can't have much love left for a team that's fallen apart like that…
He probably knows the inside info better than any amateur fan would anyway
88Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 10:18:39.66ID:+L/wR9MT0
>>74
He said if he ever hit free agency he'd go to Hiroshima
78Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 10:07:45.45ID:YiDa/WDq0
It's honestly kind of sad that Kurihara's career-high single-season home run total might end up beating his
95Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 10:22:12.60ID:JE8c4N450
>>78
Yanagita was never really a power slugger
People get the wrong idea because of his distance and full swings

The real story is an average-hitting, sabermetric-type batter — .340+ three times, .350+ multiple times, OPS over 1.000 four times
79Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 10:08:06.53ID:XRxG6+X30
Honestly I don't even have much of an impression he's been playing games lately
83Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 10:11:46.89ID:gD6XDmJf0
>>79
Games played

2024: 52 games
2025: 20 games

Yeah, seems like he genuinely hasn't been playing much these past two years
91Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 10:20:12.38ID:jUs9WAaM0
Isn't this guy into thoroughbreds?
Feels like he'd get mad if you called him a 'domestic-only recluse horse who never tried racing overseas'
102Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 10:26:18.72ID:8QOE9N7/0
>>91
Ouch, that one's gonna sting
94Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 10:21:10.95ID:EiJxKdOh0
>>90
He just ran hot this year, probably shouldn't get too cocky about it… (using a pachinko term for a lucky hot streak)
96Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 10:22:17.88ID:qSJJ3EeB0
>>94
Not trying to talk trash here — I'm a Giants fan myself — but…
Sakamoto's probably done at this point
100Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 10:24:31.04ID:T2H4IEAT0
>>94
Forget about Yanagita, Sakamoto's clearly hit his limit
97Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 10:23:24.74ID:qSJJ3EeB0
>>95
If there were a stat category for 'few homers but high slugging percentage,' would he rank near the top?
101Anonymous2026/08/23(日) 10:26:06.05ID:JE8c4N450
>>97
Actually his on-base percentage is what makes him elite
Comparing just years active in NPB, he's above Hideki Matsui
His career OBP already sits at .405

Aside from active player Kondo, the only guys over .400 OBP are Oh, Ochiai, and Matsui

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “Yuki Yanagita looks like he’s gonna finish his career with way more underwhelming stats than expected lolololololol.”

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