1. Overview
Daniel Ryusuke Missaki is a Brazilian professional baseball pitcher. Born in Japan and a Nikkei Sansei (third-generation Japanese descendant), he moved to Brazil at a young age. His diverse professional career has spanned multiple leagues, including stints in the MLB minor league system with the Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, and Texas Rangers. He has also played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) with the Yomiuri Giants, Japan's independent Baseball Challenge League, and various Latin American and Mexican professional baseball leagues, where he earned MVP honors and won championships. Missaki has been a prominent member of the Brazil national baseball team, representing his country in multiple international tournaments, including the World Baseball Classic and the Pan American Games.
2. Early life and background
Daniel Ryusuke Missaki was born on April 9, 1996, in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, though some reports indicate his birthplace as Shizuoka City. He relocated to Brazil at the age of two. As a Brazilian national of Nikkei Sansei descent, he maintains a strong connection to his Japanese heritage. His Japanese name is 御前 龍介 ダニエルMisaki Ryusuke DanielJapanese. During his pre-professional training, Missaki attended the Yakult Baseball Academy, where he was a teammate of fellow Brazilian pitcher Thyago Vieira, who would later also play in NPB.
3. Professional career
Daniel Ryusuke Missaki's professional baseball career began in 2013 and has seen him traverse various leagues and organizations across different countries, including the United States, Japan, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, and Mexico.
3.1. Early career and Seattle Mariners
Missaki first gained international attention at a young age when he represented Brazil in the 2013 World Baseball Classic qualifiers and the main tournament. At just 16 years old, he was the youngest player to participate in the 2013 tournament. Following his performance in the WBC, Missaki signed as an international free agent with the Seattle Mariners on June 19, 2013.
He made his professional debut that same season with the AZL Mariners, where he posted a 0-1 record with a 6.23 ERA in 13 innings pitched across seven appearances, six of which were starts. In 2014, he played for the Pulaski Mariners, achieving a 6-3 record and a 2.76 ERA in 11 starts. In 2015, Missaki pitched for the Clinton LumberKings. On May 1, 2015, he contributed to a no-hitter for the LumberKings against the Cedar Rapids Kernels, combining with two relievers. Later that month, he underwent Tommy John surgery, which prematurely ended his season. Prior to the surgery, he had a 1-2 record with a 3.41 ERA in six starts.
3.2. Milwaukee Brewers
After the 2015 season, on December 9, 2015, the Seattle Mariners traded Missaki, along with pitchers Carlos Herrera and Freddy Peralta, to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for first baseman Adam Lind. Missaki's time with the Brewers organization was significantly impacted by injuries, as he missed both the 2016 and 2017 seasons due to undergoing another Tommy John surgery. In 2018, despite making a couple of appearances during spring training, he did not pitch in any regular season games. He was subsequently released from the Brewers organization on September 18, 2018.
3.3. Tochigi Golden Braves
Following his release from the Brewers, Missaki signed with the Tochigi Golden Braves of the independent Baseball Challenge League in Japan on April 10, 2020. During his tenure with the team, he was registered simply as 'Daniel'. In the 2020 season, he made 16 appearances, including 10 starts, recording a 2-1 record with a 2.20 ERA and 33 strikeouts over 45 innings pitched. In 2021, he appeared in 28 games, achieving a 3-0 record with a 3.54 ERA and 23 strikeouts over 28 innings pitched before departing the team mid-season; the statistics in the table below are as of that departure.
| Year | Team | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | W | L | HLD | WPct | BF | IP | H | HR | BB | HBP | BK | SO | R | ER | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Tochigi | 16 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .667 | 188 | 45.0 | 38 | 1 | 21 | - | 1 | 33 | 15 | 11 | 2.20 | 1.31 |
| 2021 | Tochigi | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | 122 | 28.0 | 25 | 1 | 12 | - | 3 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 3.54 | 1.32 |
| Total (2 years) | 44 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | .833 | 310 | 73.0 | 63 | 2 | 33 | - | 4 | 56 | 27 | 22 | 2.87 | 1.32 | |
3.4. Yomiuri Giants
On August 17, 2021, Missaki signed with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a developmental squad player. His estimated annual salary was 40.00 K USD, equivalent to approximately 4.40 M JPY. He was assigned the uniform number 002. As a developmental squad player, he was focused on improving his skills with the aim of being promoted to the main roster within a three-year contract period. He was re-signed for the 2022 season. In 2022, Missaki made 8 appearances for the Giants' farm team, pitching to a 2.45 ERA, but he did not make any appearances for the main first-team club. He became a free agent following the 2022 season, with his departure announced by the club on October 3.
3.5. Latin American and Mexican Leagues
In 2023, Missaki returned to Latin America, playing with the Centauros de La Guaira in the newly established summer-time Venezuelan Major League (LMBP). After the season, he went back to Brazil and played for his hometown team, the Nippon Blue Jays, in the Brazilian league, while seeking new professional opportunities.
For the 2023-24 season, Missaki signed with the Caimanes de Barranquilla of the Colombian Professional Baseball League. In nine regular season appearances, he recorded a 1.26 ERA with 42 strikeouts over 35 and two-thirds innings pitched. He played a crucial role in the final series against Vaqueros de Montería, winning two games, including a complete-game shutout in the championship-clinching game. His dominant performance earned him the MVP titles for both the regular season and the final series.
On January 16, 2024, Missaki signed with the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League. He had the opportunity to pitch against the New York Yankees in a spring training game at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú on March 25, 2024. Despite loading the bases, he successfully worked his way out of the inning without conceding a run. In five total appearances with the Diablos, he posted a 2-0 record with a 1.50 ERA and 10 strikeouts over 6 innings pitched.
3.6. Return to MLB Minor League
On April 24, 2024, Missaki signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs, marking his return to the MLB minor league system. He made 20 appearances during the season, split between the rookie-level Arizona Complex League Cubs, Double-A Tennessee Smokies, and Triple-A Iowa Cubs. Across these assignments, he accumulated a 4.68 ERA with 44 strikeouts over 32 and two-thirds innings pitched. Following the season, Missaki elected free agency on November 4, 2024. On January 6, 2025, he signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers organization.
4. International career
Daniel Ryusuke Missaki has been a consistent presence on the Brazil national baseball team throughout his career. He was selected for the team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic Qualification round, where Brazil earned its first-ever berth in the main tournament. In the qualifiers, he pitched 0.2 innings of scoreless relief. He then appeared in the main 2013 World Baseball Classic tournament, pitching 0.1 innings of scoreless relief.
Missaki was also part of the Brazilian squad for the 2019 Pan American Games Qualifier. He was named to the roster for the 2021 World Baseball Classic Qualifier, which was ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In October 2023, Missaki was a member of the Brazilian team that secured the silver medal at the 2023 Pan American Games, held in Santiago, Chile.
5. Playing style
Daniel Ryusuke Missaki is a right-handed pitcher and a left-handed batter. His repertoire includes a fastball that has been clocked as fast as 96 mph (154 km/h) (approximately 95.7 mph). In addition to his fastball, he utilizes breaking balls such as a slider and a changeup as his primary off-speed pitches.
6. Career statistics and uniform numbers
During his professional career, Daniel Ryusuke Missaki has worn several uniform numbers across different teams and leagues. He did not make any official first-team appearances in NPB.
- 42 (2020-2021, with Tochigi Golden Braves)
- 002 (2021-2022, with Yomiuri Giants)