Brazil's Daniel Yonemura: From the Hokkaido Frontier League to the World Baseball Classic, a dream come true
For Japanese/Brazilian duel national Daniel Yonemura, competing in the World Baseball Classic 2026 will be a dream come true. He will try to help Brazil advance to the tournament in the Tucson, Arizona Qualifier at the Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium from March 2 to 6 where world No. 23 Brazil will face No. 13 Colombia, No. 17 Germany and No. 20 China.
"I'm looking forward to it because it's the biggest opportunity of my life," Yonemura told the Yomiuri Shimbun. "If I get to play in the WBC, I want to play to my strengths - my defensive utility," he said.
Yonemura was born in Sao Paulo to a third-generation Japanese mother and a Japanese father and holds Japanese and Brazilian nationalities. He started playing baseball in Brazil in elementary school and grew up admiring players like Ichiro Suzuki. After graduating from Sao Paulo State University, he attended the Brisbane Bandits Academy in Australia before moving to Japan where he joined the Bibai Black Diamonds in the Hokkaido Frontier League (HFL).
The HFL was formed in 2022. The league aims to promote "migration and settlement" in Hokkaido, form a baseball community on the northern island and introduce baseball to local children.
The three participants played a 52-game schedule in the 2024 season. The Black Diamonds finished second behind the Ishikari Red Phoenix, and the Shibetsu Samurai Braves placed third. The Bekkai Pilot Spirits will join the league in 2025.
Despite being the older player on the Black Diamonds team at age 33 and joining as an interpreter and player, Yonemura led the league in hitting, posting a .421 batting average and a .530 on-base percentage. He also showed versatility, covering all infield positions.
Yonemura also helped Marilia win the XXIX Taça Brasil de Beisebol Adulto (Brazilian Adults Baseball Cup).
The first World Baseball Classic 2026 Qualifier will feature world No. 2 Chinese Taipei, No. 16 Nicaragua, No. 24 Spain, and No. 31 South Africa at the Taipei Dome from February 21 to 25.
The first-place finishers and the winners of an elimination game between the second and third-place finishers of each group will advance to the World Baseball Classic 2026.