Tetsuto Yamada

Tetsuto Yamada
Yamada with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in 2016
Tokyo Yakult Swallows – No. 1
Second baseman
Born: (1992-07-16) July 16, 1992
Toyooka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
NPB debut
April 5, 2012, for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows
NPB statistics
(through 2025 season)
Batting average.276
Hits1,643
Home runs311
Runs batted in917
Stolen bases198
Stats at Baseball Reference 
Teams
Career highlights and awards
NPB
International
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  Japan
World Baseball Classic
2023 Miami Team
Summer Olympics
2020 Tokyo Team
WBSC Premier12
2015 Tokyo Team
2019 Tokyo Team

Tetsuto Yamada (山田 哲人, Yamada Tetsuto; born July 16, 1992) is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Yamada made his NPB debut in 2012 with Yakult, and has played with them for his whole career. He has won the Central League MVP award, has received the Best Nine Award six times, has been selected to six NPB All-Star Series appearances, and has a Japan Series championship. He has led the Central League in stolen bases three times and home runs once, hitting 30 home runs and stealing 30 bases in a single season on four occasions. In 2014 he broke the single season record for most hits by a Japanese right-hander in the NPB, and in 2015 became the first player in NPB history to lead his league in home runs and stolen bases in the same season. He has been compared to Mike Trout for his combination of power and speed. Yamada has also been nicknamed "Mr. Triple Three", as he is the only player in NPB history to accomplish the "triple three" (30 home runs, 30 stolen bases, and a batting average of .300 in a single season) three times. He is currently the last NPB player to accomplish the feat in a season.

Yamada has also played for the Japanese national team Samurai Japan. In 2014 and 2018, he won the MLB Japan All-Star Series with them. He has played for Japan in the WBSC Premier12 tournaments of 2015 and 2019, and was on the Japanese team during the 2017 World Baseball Classic. In 2021, he was selected to the host nation's team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he won both the gold medal and the MVP award.