Teruaki Sato Becomes First Shigeo Nagashima Award Winner
Hanshin Tigers star Teruaki Sato became the inaugural Shigeo Nagashima Award winner after a .306, 39-homer, 106-RBI Triple Crown season.
World Baseball News Editorial Team , 1 min read 
Hanshin Tigers third baseman Teruaki Sato was named the first winner of the Shigeo Nagashima Award on Thursday, November 12, adding a new national honor to a 2026 season in which he captured Nippon Professional Baseball’s batting Triple Crown.
The award was introduced this year in memory of the late Yomiuri Giants legend Shigeo Nagashima. It recognizes an NPB position player whose running, hitting and defense stand out while also exciting fans and contributing to baseball’s cultural reach.
A new award begins with Sato
Sato was selected by a five-member committee featuring Sadaharu Oh, Koji Yamamoto, Akinobu Okada, Hideki Kuriyama and Kazuo Matsui. The 27-year-old will receive the trophy at the NPB Awards ceremony on November 25.
Oh, the committee chair, said the panel wanted the inaugural choice to establish a standard worthy of Nagashima’s name. Sato’s combination of production, presence and all-around impact made him the first player attached to the new honor.
Triple Crown season separated Sato
Sato played all 143 games for Hanshin and finished with a .306 batting average, 39 home runs and 106 RBIs, leading the Central League in all three categories. He also recorded 165 hits, 100 runs, 40 doubles, a .383 on-base percentage and a .609 slugging percentage.
The season made Sato the ninth Triple Crown winner in NPB history and the first Japanese player to achieve the feat for Hanshin. His power in the heart of the order helped the Tigers win a second consecutive Central League pennant.
Sato’s year was not limited to offense. He also won the Central League Gold Glove at third base, giving the selection committee another measure of the complete season envisioned by the award’s criteria.
The Nagashima Award will not necessarily be presented every year; it is reserved for a player the committee considers to meet its full standard. By choosing Sato after a championship season and one of the strongest individual campaigns in recent Japanese baseball, the panel gave the new prize an immediate benchmark.
