Kenta Maeda

Who is Kenta Maeda?

Kenta Maeda is a Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan's Central League. He won the 2010 Sawamura Award with a record of 15-8 and a 2.21 ERA, with 174 strikeouts in 215 and 2/3 innings, and six complete games with two shutouts. He also became the youngest pitcher in Japanese baseball history to achieve the pitching Triple Crown and won a Gold Glove in the same year. He is nicknamed "Maeken" by fans and teammates.

Maeda is a 6 ft 0 in, 161 lb right-handed pitcher. With a three-quarters delivery Maeda throws two fastballs that sit in 88-92 mph, an average change-up, an occasional curveball, and a solid-average slider in low-80s, which is his best pitch. He also has excellent command, posting a walks per nine innings rate of 1.9 in his career.