NPB Japan Topps Stadium Club

Last summer my daughter announced she was going on a round-the-world trip.  Basically flying west to east starting with Hawaii, then Japan and then Europe.  Most parents might have been preoccupied with safety and her itinerary (I was) but when I heard Japan, I immediately  thought here's my second chance for more Japanese baseball cards (you can read about the first time HERE).  So I not so subtly suggested she pick some up for me and luckily, she listened!  

She grabbed a couple packs of Topps Stadium Club NPB cards and this is what they look like.  Each pack contains 10 cards, and packs with special inserts may contain less.  So let's see what I got.

PACK 1

Kensuke Kondoh:  This outfielder has played 14 seasons and has a career .307 avg with 107 HR's.  He was a key member of Japan's 2023 World Baseball Classis championship.  Ohtani once described him as a "genius with the bat".

Yuki Nomara:  This 25 year old infielder hails from Michigan, has been in the league for 6 years and was an all-star in 2022.

Tyler Austin:  This player's name sounded familiar and when I looked him up, I knew why.  He played parts of 2 seasons with the Twins in 2018 and 2019.  But he's probably better known for his MLB debut with the Yankees, where he and teammate Aaron Judge hit back-to-back home runs in their very first major league at-bats, a first in MLB history.  From 2020 to 2025 he was a star in the NPB league but recently signed a contract to play for the Cubs in 2026.

Tomoki Ishihara:  Drafted in 2019, he has played for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp since 2021.

Keito Mombetsu:  This lefty is a promising young pitcher and at the age of 21 pitched 5 perfect innings against the Chicago Cubs.

Haruki Nishikawa:  Haruki has been in the NPB league for 14 years and recently rejoined the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters for a "farewell" tour next season.  He has over 300 stolen bases to his credit.

Takahiro Norimoto:  Takahiro is a prolific pitcher in the NPB league.  Now in his 14th season he has over 1900 strike outs to his credit in about 1800 innings pitched.  He has 120 career wins, won rookie of the year in 2013 and led the league in strikeouts for five consecutive seasons (2014-2018).

Ryo Ohta: Ryo made his NPB debut in 2019 and is a member of the Orix Buffaloes, helping them to the championship in 2022.

Kazuma Okamoto:  This 29 year old power hitter spent 11 seasons with the Yomuri Giants where he is a 3 time home run champ, 2x RBI leader, and 6x All-Star.  He has nearly 250 career home runs.  In 2026, Toronto fans will get to watch him as he recently signed a 4-year deal worth $60 million.

Tsuyoshi Ishihara: This numbered parallel was my hit in pack 1.  Tsuyoshi is battling for a starting role but struggled in 2025 and recently signed a contract for 2026 at a slight reduction from last year.

PACK 2

Tatsuya Imai: This 27 year old pitcher has career record of 58-45 with over 900 strikeouts and a 3.15 era.  In 2026 fans of the Houston Astros will get to cheer for him after signing a three year deal worth about $63 million.

Tomoki Ishihara: Tomoki made his professional debut in 2021 and currently plays for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.

Naoya Masuda:  Playing with the Chiba Lotte Marines, Naoya has been in the league for 14 seasons. As a reliever, he is hoping to get his 250th save in 2026.

Tatsuki Mizuno:  A 2024 all-star selection, Mizuno has played in the NPB for 4 seasons.

Shota Morishita:  This young slugger has belted 49 home runs in 3 years while playing for the Hashin Tigers.  He was selected to be a part of Japan's national team for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Akira Nakamura: At 36, Akira, is a 8x Series champion, 4x gold glove winner and 2x all-star.

Sho Nakata:  Nakata has played for 17 seasons, has over 1500 hits, 1000 RBI's and 300 home runs. He currently plays for the Chunichi Dragons.

Kazuma Okamoto:  Yep it my first dupe!

Kentaro Shinogi:  This young rookie pitcher made his debut last season and in limited games had an ERA over 10.

Yuto Koga: My insert for pack 2 has been in the league for 4 seasons.  He currently plays for the Saitama Seibu Lions and recently posted a career-best .329 slugging pct.  He might not be the best player but the stars sure add some glitter to this set.

How do you think I did?  Hard to tell since I'm not very familiar with this league.  Overall I like the front card design, it is simple and clean.  

As much as I like the design on the front, I really don't like the back.  It very much reminds me of Panini.  There's a lot of space here.

So would I pursue more of these if given the opportunity?  I wouldn't turn them down.  However, if you're in Japan and ship cards back here, you can expect a COMC style wait to get your cards.  Trust me on that.

Oh and I almost forgot.

I scored a couple of 1964 Morinaga Stand-ups.  I love these oversized cards.

This is Yasumitsu Toyoda.  He was the 1956 Japan Series MVP and is a Japanese Hall of Famer.

This is a small 17 card set that can come with some hefty prices, but I might try to land a few more - if I can figure out a nice way to store them.