Yoshinobu Yamamoto Net Worth 2024: Contract, Earnings, Endorsements and More

"I am truly excited to wear Dodger Blue and can't wait to play in front of a packed Dodger Stadium," said Japan's 'best pitcher' post locking a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a 5-foot-10-inch (1.78 m), 177-pound (80 kg) right-handed pitcher, who throws a fastball averaging 95 mph (153 km/h), is Japan's best pitching import ever.

In December 2023, Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed a 12 year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers, which took him on the list of the highest-paid players in MLB history. Before Yoshi kicks off his MLB 2025 season, his contract, earnings, family, and background etc. deserve a deep dive - so let's get into it all. 

Yoshinobu Yamamoto's net worth in 2025: A Look into his earnings 

The Japanese pitcher played for the Japan’s NPB's Orix Buffaloes for 6 years (2017-2023) before he signed a 12-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers worth $325M with a $50M signing bonus. That’s a whopping $27M per year!

Not much is known about his investments and endorsements, but his net worth is estimated to be in the vicinity of $40M. Given his solid performance lately, the numbers are expected to rise steadily and steeply. 

Where does Yoshinobu Yamamoto come from: Know about his early life and background

Yoshinobu Yamamoto was born on August 17, 1998 in Bizen, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. He got his name from his grandmother who combined the characters "Yoshi" from his mother's name and "Nobu" from his father's name. He started playing baseball in elementary school and remained an unimportant part of the team until he got out of junior high. Miyakonojo High School in Miyazaki Prefecture was where Yamamoto truly understood his skills as a pitcher and began his professional journey. 

A star on the mound: A look into the baseball career of the Japanese ace

In 2017, three days after his 19th birthday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto made his Nippon Professional Baseball debut for the Pacific League's Orix Buffaloes. Yoshi represented his Japan national baseball team in the 2019 exhibition games and the 2020 Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal against Team USA in the latter.

Pitching in two games, starting one, in the tournament and allowing two runs in 7+1„3 innings, Yamamoto represented Japan in the 5th World Baseball Classic, with his team winning the gold medal. Moreover, Yoshinobu Yamamoto wasn’t NPB’s “great pitcher” but the “league's no-doubt ace” for three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023. 

From winning Pacific League Most Valuable Player in the 2021 season to becoming the first pitcher in NPB history to throw no-hitters in consecutive seasons, Yoshi reigned supreme over the NPB, leading the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts each of these three seasons.

This unprecedented feat earned him three consecutive Eiji Sawamura Awards, Japan's esteemed Cy Young equivalent. While Major League Baseball has only seen three Triple Crown winners, Japan's Yamamoto stands as a singular force, conquering the feat three times in a row! Over seven seasons with the Orix Buffaloes, Yamamoto dominated as a starter, boasting a phenomenal 1.72 ERA. Now, at the Majors, Yamamoto has already begun proving his mettle. In his rookie season, Yoshinobu Yamamoto has already got an NL championship under his belt.

A champion of the game: His achievements and accolades in a nutshell

From being Japan’s best pitcher to many anticipating him to replicate the same to Major Leagues, Yamamoto’s NPB and International achievements and accolades speak for themselves:

NPB

• Two no-hitters (2023)


• Japan Series champion (2022)


• 3× Japanese Triple Crown (2021”“2023)


• 3× Pacific League MVP (2021”“2023)


• 3× Eiji Sawamura Award (2021”“2023)


• 3× Best Nine Award (2021”“2023)


• 3× Pacific League Golden Glove Award (2021”“2023)


• 3× Best Battery Award with Catcher Kenya Wakatsuki (2021”“2023)


• 3× Pacific League wins champion (2021”“2023)


• Interleague play MVP (2021)


• 4× Pacific League strikeout champion (2020”“2023)


• 4× Pacific League ERA champion (2019, 2021”“2023)


• 5× NPB All-Star (2018, 2019, 2021”“2023)

International

• Tokyo 2020 All-Olympic Baseball Team (2021)

MLB

• World Series Champion (2024)

His MLB dream fulfilled: How Yoshinobu Yamamoto became pitcher with the biggest MLB contract

Yamamoto, “a WBC champion, Olympic champion and NPB champion”, signed the eye-popping 12-year, $325 million contract on December 27, 2023, with the Dodgers. The Japanese stars dominated the 2023-24 free agency. While his countryman, Shohei Ohtani, signed a 10-year, $700 million contract which is “the richest in North American sports history”, Yoshinobu became “the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history”, joining the long list of the dominant NPB pitchers to jump to the Majors.

A day after he signed this hefty contract, reporter Noah Camras posted a tweet, which said “when he (Yamamoto) was 19 years old he came to a playoff game at Dodger Stadium and Kenta Maeda was pitching.” This was the primary reason why the young Yamamoto wanted to play in the major league at some point of his career.

After he entered the realms of MLB through this massive deal, Yamamoto said, “I will stop simply admiring the players that I have looked up to, but strive to become the player that others want to become,” in an interview. 

Is Yoshinobu Yamamoto single? Know the answer

According to the most recent information, Yamamoto is single with no indication of past or present relationships. The 2022 Japan Series champion’s social media revolves around his baseball exploits, emphasizing his one track mind towards baseball.

As they say, ‘everyone has a personal life’, Yoshi is perhaps choosing to shield this bit of his life from the public eye. This individual's dating life is a guessing game, and marriage seems a distant thing at the moment. 

It remains to be seen if Yoshinobu Yamamoto manages to replicate or go beyond what his compatriot, Shohei Ohtani, has achieved over the years in Major League Baseball.

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