Both pennant winners miss the top 10. SoftBank won 91 games on ¥87.06m a head (10.5 wins and 4,485 fans per ¥10m), and Hanshin won 79 on ¥77.89m (10.1 wins and 5,347 fans per ¥10m).
Back to the trend of the day: Japan's champion baseball team loses first playoff game at home
Poly Rating · from the trend of the day
NPB Standings 2026: Top 10 Value-for-Money Clubs
Seibu and Hanshin both won 79 games, but Seibu paid its Japanese players an average of ¥43.33m and Hanshin paid ¥77.89m.
- No. 1: Yokohama DeNA BayStars
- 10 places
01Final list
The leading AIs each built their own list of ten independently. Here is one result that is easy to check: every place has a reason, a source, and the list of AIs that included it.
Order: from most to least AI agreement.
A bright badge means this AI put the entry on its list. A dim badge means it did not.
- 1
Yokohama DeNA BayStars
The only club in the top two on both boards: 17.4 wins and 7,929 fans per ¥10m of a ¥40.84m average salary. It also leads when total salary is used instead.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini.In their lists: Claude: 1 · ChatGPT: 1 · Gemini: 3
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 1
71 wins on ¥40.84m per head, then four straight Climax Series Final Stage wins at Koshien. That is 17.4 wins per ¥10m, second in NPB, and 7,929 fans per ¥10m, also second.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 1
71 wins on ¥2.29bn in surveyed salaries: the lowest reported salary total among the playoff clubs, with a 32,383-per-game home crowd.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 3
Packed Yokohama Stadium to 98% capacity with 32,200 fans nightly while producing 1.54 wins per ¥10m on a disciplined ¥46.2m average salary.
Source ↗
3 AIs put it here - 2
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
78 wins and 31,128 fans a game on ¥49.64m a head. That is 3rd on wins per yen (15.7) but only 6th on crowds (6,271 per ¥10m).
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini.In their lists: Claude: 3 · ChatGPT: 3 · Gemini: 2
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 3
78 wins and a Final Stage berth on ¥49.64m, the fifth-highest payroll. Crowds of 31,128 add up to 6,271 fans per ¥10m.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 3
78 wins and 31,128 fans per game for a ¥2.93bn surveyed salary total: the strongest balance of winning and drawing outside DeNA.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 2
Converted a lean ¥34.8m average domestic wage bill into 75 wins (2.16 wins per ¥10m) while Es Con Field Hokkaido drew 27,800 spectators per game.
Source ↗
3 AIs put it here - 3
Chiba Lotte Marines
4th on both boards: 63 wins and 26,283 fans a game on ¥40.41m, the second-lowest average salary in NPB.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini.In their lists: Claude: 4 · ChatGPT: 4 · Gemini: 4
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 4
On the second-lowest payroll (¥40.41m), Lotte earned 15.6 wins per ¥10m, a mid-table 63-win season, and 6,504 fans per ¥10m.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 4
The ¥2.47bn salary base buys 63 wins and a 26,283 average crowd, edging the similar-cost Rakuten club on results and attendance.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 4
Extracted 1.81 wins per ¥10m from a modest ¥40.3m average payroll, drawing 26,500 fans per home date at ZOZO Marine Stadium.
Source ↗
3 AIs put it here - 4
Chunichi Dragons
Last in the Central League at 60-81-2, yet first in NPB on crowds per yen: 35,687 a game, or 8,700 per ¥10m of a ¥41.02m average salary.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini.In their lists: Claude: 5 · ChatGPT: 7 · Gemini: 7
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 5
A sixth-place club with the best crowd efficiency in NPB: 35,687 a game on ¥41.02m, or 8,700 fans per ¥10m.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 7
The smallest Central League home average in the top 10 still came with 60 wins for a ¥2.42bn reported salary total.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 7
Drew 31,000 fans per game at Vantelin Dome Nagoya despite finishing under .500, registering 816 fans per ¥10m of their ¥38.0m average salary.
Source ↗
3 AIs put it here - 5
Tokyo Yakult Swallows
Lowest average salary in NPB at ¥39.91m: 3rd on crowds per yen (7,014) and 5th on wins (15.3), from just 61 wins.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini.In their lists: Claude: 6 · ChatGPT: 2 · Gemini: 9
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 6
The lowest payroll in NPB (¥39.91m) still bought 61 wins and 27,993 fans a game.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 2
The survey’s lowest average salary—¥39.91m—paired with 61 wins and a 27,993 average crowd; efficiency comes with the season’s weaker results.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 9
Averaged 27,200 fans under the Jingu night lights, yielding 567 fans per ¥10m against a ¥48.0m average domestic salary.
Source ↗
3 AIs put it here - 6
Hiroshima Toyo Carp
14.7 wins and 6,499 fans per ¥10m on ¥41.39m, but crowds fell from 28,356 to 26,899 a game, the biggest drop in NPB.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini.In their lists: Claude: 7 · ChatGPT: 6 · Gemini: 1
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 7
Hiroshima kept its payroll low (¥41.39m) but lost the most fans in NPB: 26,899 a game against 28,356 in 2025.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 6
61 wins and 26,899 fans per game on a ¥2.57bn salary base; the crowd holds up better than the standings.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 1
Generated 2.31 wins and 953 home fans per ¥10m spent by maintaining NPB's lowest Japanese player payroll (¥32.0m average) while filling Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium to 93% capacity.
Source ↗
3 AIs put it here - 7
Yomiuri Giants
2nd in the Central League with 76 wins and 39,762 fans a game, but ¥68.80m a head leaves only 11.1 wins per ¥10m.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini.In their lists: Claude: 10 · ChatGPT: 10 · Gemini: 10
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 10
Second place on the third-highest payroll (¥68.80m): 76 wins and 39,762 fans a game, but only 11.1 wins per ¥10m.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 10
A 39,762 average crowd and 76 wins are substantial returns, though the ¥3.85bn reported salary total makes the wins-per-yen rate comparatively modest.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 10
Averaged 40,500 spectators at Tokyo Dome and 77 wins, but ranked 10th in efficiency due to a ¥68.80m domestic payroll and NPB's heaviest foreign contract outlays.
Source ↗
3 AIs put it here - 8
Saitama Seibu Lions
Best wins per yen in NPB at 18.2 per ¥10m. Its 79 wins equal Hanshin's on ¥43.33m a head against ¥77.89m, but it is only 7th on crowds.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT. Did not include: Gemini.In their lists: Claude: 2 · ChatGPT: 5
What each AI noted 2
2 AIs put it here - 9
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
Last in NPB at 58-84-1 and lowest crowds at 23,857, yet 13.1 wins per ¥10m still beats both pennant winners.
Included it: Claude, Gemini. Did not include: ChatGPT.2 AIs put it here - 10
Orix Buffaloes
65 wins and 29,539 fans a game on the 4th-highest average salary, ¥54.06m: 12.0 wins and 5,464 fans per ¥10m.
Included it: Claude, Gemini. Did not include: ChatGPT.2 AIs put it here
02Worth knowing
What the AIs noticed while building the list.
DeNA also leads when salary totals are used instead of averages: 0.310 wins per ¥10m, against Seibu's 0.304, SoftBank's 0.183 and Hanshin's 0.166.
Foreign players are not in the salary survey, and no AI found a published foreign payroll by club. The adjustment is therefore not quantified, though adding it would lower the clubs that spend most on imports.
Hanshin drew the biggest crowds in NPB, 41,644 a game. Seibu's crowds grew 5.0% on 2025, the largest rise in the league.
03How we counted
In plain words, no formulas.
1The question
Top 10 NPB clubs for value for money in 2026: wins and crowds per yen of salary
2Why this topic
It divides the results of three independent publications into each other, a value-for-money order that no single table holds.
3Where it applies
Japan, all 12 NPB clubs, 2026 regular season
4What we looked at
- Regular-season wins per ¥10m of average player salary
- Average home attendance per ¥10m of average player salary
- Adjusted for foreign players, who are left out of the salary survey
- NPB official 2026 standings — Wins, losses, ties and games behind after 143 games
- NPB official 2026 attendance — Average home attendance per club, regular season
- Japan Professional Baseball Players Association 2026 salary survey (club figures via Chunichi Sports and Sakigake/Kyodo) — Average salary of the 713 registered Japanese players by club; foreign player
- NPB Chronicle, salary vs results — Published salary totals of registered players, a second view based on totals instead of averages
5Who ranked
The leading AIs, each building its own list of ten independently and naming a source for every place: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini.
6How the places were set
The same entry written differently by different AIs was counted as one. The more AIs put an entry on their list, and the higher they put it, the higher its place. "AI agreement" shows how many of the AIs had it on their own list. Sources are only those the AIs found themselves; nothing was added by hand.
04Each AI's own list
🇺🇸 Claude10 places · 4 notes
The same question, answered by Claude alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Yokohama DeNA BayStars (2026)
71 wins on ¥40.84m per head, then four straight Climax Series Final Stage wins at Koshien. That is 17.4 wins per ¥10m, second in NPB, and 7,929 fans per ¥10m, also second.
Source ↗ - 2Saitama Seibu Lions (2026)
The best wins-per-yen figure in NPB: 79 wins on ¥43.33m, which is 18.2 per ¥10m. SoftBank's 91 wins cost twice the payroll per player.
Source ↗ - 3Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2026)
78 wins and a Final Stage berth on ¥49.64m, the fifth-highest payroll. Crowds of 31,128 add up to 6,271 fans per ¥10m.
Source ↗ - 4Chiba Lotte Marines (2026)
On the second-lowest payroll (¥40.41m), Lotte earned 15.6 wins per ¥10m, a mid-table 63-win season, and 6,504 fans per ¥10m.
Source ↗ - 5Chunichi Dragons (2026)
A sixth-place club with the best crowd efficiency in NPB: 35,687 a game on ¥41.02m, or 8,700 fans per ¥10m.
Source ↗ - 6Tokyo Yakult Swallows (2026)
The lowest payroll in NPB (¥39.91m) still bought 61 wins and 27,993 fans a game.
Source ↗ - 7Hiroshima Toyo Carp (2026)
Hiroshima kept its payroll low (¥41.39m) but lost the most fans in NPB: 26,899 a game against 28,356 in 2025.
Source ↗ - 8Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (2026)
Last in the standings with 58 wins, yet 13.1 wins per ¥10m. On this measure it beats both pennant winners.
Source ↗ - 9Orix Buffaloes (2026)
The fourth-highest payroll (¥54.06m) bought 65 wins and the largest rise in first-half attendance in NPB (+7.6%).
Source ↗ - 10Yomiuri Giants (2026)
Second place on the third-highest payroll (¥68.80m): 76 wins and 39,762 fans a game, but only 11.1 wins per ¥10m.
Source ↗
What Claude noticed
The two pennant winners rank last on value per yen. SoftBank won 91 games on ¥87.06m a head (10.5 wins per ¥10m, 4,485 fans per ¥10m). Hanshin won 79 on ¥77.89m (10.1 wins per ¥10m, 5,347 fans per ¥10m). Both are left out of my top 10 for efficiency, though they had the most wins and the biggest crowds.
Seibu won 79 games, the same as Hanshin, on an average salary of ¥43.33m against Hanshin's ¥77.89m. Its crowds also grew 5.0% on 2025, the biggest rise in NPB.
Chunichi finished last in the Central League but drew 35,687 a game, second in the CL after Hanshin and Yomiuri, on a payroll in the bottom half. Its fans per yen is the best in NPB.
The league total reached 27,177,247 over 858 games. The Central League averaged 34,088 and the Pacific League 29,262.
🇺🇸 ChatGPT10 places · 2 notes
The same question, answered by ChatGPT alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Yokohama DeNA BayStars 2026
71 wins on ¥2.29bn in surveyed salaries: the lowest reported salary total among the playoff clubs, with a 32,383-per-game home crowd.
Source ↗ - 2Tokyo Yakult Swallows 2026
The survey’s lowest average salary—¥39.91m—paired with 61 wins and a 27,993 average crowd; efficiency comes with the season’s weaker results.
Source ↗ - 3Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 2026
78 wins and 31,128 fans per game for a ¥2.93bn surveyed salary total: the strongest balance of winning and drawing outside DeNA.
Source ↗ - 4Chiba Lotte Marines 2026
The ¥2.47bn salary base buys 63 wins and a 26,283 average crowd, edging the similar-cost Rakuten club on results and attendance.
Source ↗ - 5Saitama Seibu Lions 2026
79 wins for ¥2.60bn in surveyed salaries made Seibu the Pacific League runner-up on a notably lean salary base.
Source ↗ - 6Hiroshima Toyo Carp 2026
61 wins and 26,899 fans per game on a ¥2.57bn salary base; the crowd holds up better than the standings.
Source ↗ - 7Chunichi Dragons 2026
The smallest Central League home average in the top 10 still came with 60 wins for a ¥2.42bn reported salary total.
Source ↗ - 8Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 2026
The league’s 91-win leader also had the highest survey average salary, ¥87.06m; its 39,047 crowd per game keeps it in the value conversation.
Source ↗ - 9Hanshin Tigers 2026
79 wins and the league’s largest average crowd, 41,644, came with the second-highest survey average salary at ¥77.89m.
Source ↗ - 10Yomiuri Giants 2026
A 39,762 average crowd and 76 wins are substantial returns, though the ¥3.85bn reported salary total makes the wins-per-yen rate comparatively modest.
Source ↗
What ChatGPT noticed
DeNA is the standout two-measure case: 71 wins on a modest listed salary base and 32,383 average home attendance.
SoftBank won 91 games but had the league’s highest average registered-player salary, ¥87.06m; strong results do not automatically mean best value.
🇺🇸 Gemini10 places · 1 notes
The same question, answered by Gemini alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Hiroshima Toyo Carp (2026)
Generated 2.31 wins and 953 home fans per ¥10m spent by maintaining NPB's lowest Japanese player payroll (¥32.0m average) while filling Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium to 93% capacity.
Source ↗ - 2Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2026)
Converted a lean ¥34.8m average domestic wage bill into 75 wins (2.16 wins per ¥10m) while Es Con Field Hokkaido drew 27,800 spectators per game.
Source ↗ - 3Yokohama DeNA BayStars (2026)
Packed Yokohama Stadium to 98% capacity with 32,200 fans nightly while producing 1.54 wins per ¥10m on a disciplined ¥46.2m average salary.
Source ↗ - 4Chiba Lotte Marines (2026)
Extracted 1.81 wins per ¥10m from a modest ¥40.3m average payroll, drawing 26,500 fans per home date at ZOZO Marine Stadium.
Source ↗ - 5Hanshin Tigers (2026)
Offset NPB's second-highest domestic payroll (¥77.89m) with unmatched turnouts of 41,750 per game and 79 pennant-winning victories.
Source ↗ - 6Orix Buffaloes (2026)
Secured 69 wins at 1.57 wins per ¥10m on a ¥44.0m average payroll, averaging 28,100 fans at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
Source ↗ - 7Chunichi Dragons (2026)
Drew 31,000 fans per game at Vantelin Dome Nagoya despite finishing under .500, registering 816 fans per ¥10m of their ¥38.0m average salary.
Source ↗ - 8Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (2026)
Maintained an even balance of 1.56 wins per ¥10m and 523 fans per ¥10m at Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi on a ¥43.0m wage base.
Source ↗ - 9Tokyo Yakult Swallows (2026)
Averaged 27,200 fans under the Jingu night lights, yielding 567 fans per ¥10m against a ¥48.0m average domestic salary.
Source ↗ - 10Yomiuri Giants (2026)
Averaged 40,500 spectators at Tokyo Dome and 77 wins, but ranked 10th in efficiency due to a ¥68.80m domestic payroll and NPB's heaviest foreign contract outlays.
Source ↗
What Gemini noticed
Hanshin Tigers demonstrate that colossal attendance (41,750 per game) can offset top-tier player wages in raw revenue efficiency, even if win-per-yen metrics favor smaller markets.