Yuki Matsui
28-Year-Old
2024 Stats
W-L
2-0
ERA
3.72
WHIP
1.34
K
15
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Matsui signed a five-year, $28 million contract with the Padres in December, a deal which suggests he has the chance to close for his new club but isn't a lock to do so. San Diego is no stranger to the overseas reliever market, having signed Robert Suarez out of NPB prior to the 2022 season while also adding Woo Suk Go from the KBO this winter. Those two may wind up being Matsui's primary competition for the ninth inning this season, and if he can come anywhere close to repeating his numbers from Japan, he'll emerge as the favorite. The lefty may stand just 5-foot-8, and his four-seamer sits a modest 92-94 mph, but its rising action pairs perfectly with his devastating splitter, leading to a 2.40 ERA and 236 saves across his 10-year career in Japan. Over the last three years, he's produced ERAs of 0.63, 1.952 and 1.57, producing a 36.4 K% over that stretch. He hasn't always shown great control, with a 10.9 BB% for his career, but that number dropped to 5.9% last season. With a strong spring, Matsui could quickly move to the back of the Padres' bullpen. Read Past Outlooks
RANKSFrom Preseason
#339
ADP
Notches fifth hold
Matsui earned a hold against Atlanta on Friday, walking one batter and striking out two over two-thirds of an inning.
ANALYSIS
Matsui was called upon with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning with the trying run at the plate, and he struck out Michael Harris to end the frame. The lefty reliever then struck out Orlando Arcia to begin the seventh before walking Adam Duvall, which got him the hook. Interestingly, usual closer Robert Suarez was deployed in a high-leverage spot in the eighth frame Friday, but Matsui -- who was expected to compete for the ninth-inning role after working mostly as a closer during his 10-year career in Japan -- wasn't available to close since he had already been used. If Suarez sees more work before the ninth, it's possible Matsui gets an occasional save chance, though he's mostly struggled in May, allowing four runs on five hits while posting a 6:6 K:BB over 4.2 innings covering six appearances.
Matsui was called upon with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning with the trying run at the plate, and he struck out Michael Harris to end the frame. The lefty reliever then struck out Orlando Arcia to begin the seventh before walking Adam Duvall, which got him the hook. Interestingly, usual closer Robert Suarez was deployed in a high-leverage spot in the eighth frame Friday, but Matsui -- who was expected to compete for the ninth-inning role after working mostly as a closer during his 10-year career in Japan -- wasn't available to close since he had already been used. If Suarez sees more work before the ninth, it's possible Matsui gets an occasional save chance, though he's mostly struggled in May, allowing four runs on five hits while posting a 6:6 K:BB over 4.2 innings covering six appearances.
Pitching Stats
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2024
Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
14
Last 10 Games
15
Last 5 Games
14
How many pitches does Yuki Matsui generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Yuki Matsui generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-13%
BAA vs RHP
2024
-13%
BAA vs RHP
BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022vs Left | .231 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 0 | |||
Since 2022vs Right | .200 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 1 | |||
2024vs Left | .231 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 0 | |||
2024vs Right | .200 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 1 | |||
2023vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
2023vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
2022vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
2022vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-40%
ERA at Home
2024
-40%
ERA at Home
ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022Home | 2.79 | 1.45 | 9.2 | 6.5 | 5.6 | ||||
Since 2022Away | 4.66 | 1.24 | 9.2 | 7.4 | 5.6 | ||||
2024Home | 2.79 | 1.45 | 9.2 | 6.5 | 5.6 | ||||
2024Away | 4.66 | 1.24 | 9.2 | 7.4 | 5.6 | ||||
2023Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
2023Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
2022Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
2022Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Stat Review
How does Yuki Matsui compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
1.25K/9
7.0BB/9
5.6HR/9
0.5Fastball
92.0 mphERA
3.72WHIP
1.34BABIP
.248GB/FB
1.59Left On Base
69.1%Exit Velocity
80.8 mphBarrels/BBE
3.2%Spin Rate
2125 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
23.4%Swinging Strike
12.2%Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Yuki Matsui See More
An early look at the state of pitching in 2024 reveals more wins going to relievers and a hint that scoring could be down this year compared to 2023.
Brad Johnson examines NL bullpens without clear closers, starting in Washington, where the Nationals currently are relying on Kyle Finnegan to finish games.
Brad Johnson offers a peek into his fantasy team's pitching staff, starting with his No. 1 pitcher, the Mets' Kodai Senga, whom he had kept from last year's roster.
Brad Johnson writes about pitching happenings this week and in Rotation Ramblings, he notes Luis Gil will get an extended look in the rotation with Gerrit Cole's injury.
Latest Fantasy Rumors
Close to deal with San Diego
The Padres have offered Matsui a contract, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network.
ANALYSIS
There's a report from Sankei Sports in Japan suggesting an agreement might already be in place, and Mark Feinsand of MLB.com hears it's "close" to being officially announced. Matsui, who had also been drawing heavy MLB interest from the Cardinals, registered a dominant 1.57 ERA and 72:13 K:BB over 57.1 innings of relief last season with the Rakuten Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball. The 28-year-old left-hander boasts 236 career NPB saves.
There's a report from Sankei Sports in Japan suggesting an agreement might already be in place, and Mark Feinsand of MLB.com hears it's "close" to being officially announced. Matsui, who had also been drawing heavy MLB interest from the Cardinals, registered a dominant 1.57 ERA and 72:13 K:BB over 57.1 innings of relief last season with the Rakuten Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball. The 28-year-old left-hander boasts 236 career NPB saves.
More Fantasy News
Enters in sixth in MLB debut
Matsui pitched two-thirds of an inning in Wednesday's regular-season opener against the Dodgers in South Korea, allowing one walk and striking out one batter without allowing any runs.
ANALYSIS
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Returns with scoreless frame
Matsui struck out two batters and allowed one hit in a scoreless inning against Oakland in San Diego's Cactus League finale Wednesday.
ANALYSIS
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Slated to pitch Wednesday
Matsui (back) will pitch in the Padres' Cactus League finale against the A's on Wednesday, MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Uncertain to pitch in Seoul Series
Padres manager Mike Shildt told 97.3 The Fan this week that "there is a possibility" Matsui (back) will be ready for San Diego's opening regular-season series in South Korea.
ANALYSIS
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Throwing bullpen session Tuesday
Matsui (back) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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