The Arms Race Begins: Six Pitchers Defining the Future of the WPBL
Published on November 13, 2025 under Women's Professional Baseball League (WPBL) News Release
As the WPBL prepares for its inaugural season, one thing is already clear: the league will be built on elite pitching. Across three continents, a generation of women has been refining their craft in college programs, national teams, and men's leagues that often weren't designed for them-but couldn't hold them back.
This first class of WPBL pitching prospects features athletes whose careers already span history-making moments, viral tournament performances, and championship podiums. Together, they form one of the deepest and most intriguing talent pools in the sport.
Here are six right-handers poised to shape the early identity of the league.
Rakyung Kim (RHP - Seoul, South Korea)
Few players in the WPBL draft pool arrive with a résumé as groundbreaking as Rakyung Kim, a pitcher whose career has already changed the trajectory of women's baseball in Korea and beyond.
Kim grew up in Namyangju-si, encouraged by her older brother-a former professional player-at a time when most adults told her that baseball "was only for boys." With no girls' pathway available, she joined a men's team and made history as the first female player to hit a home run, igniting national discussion that would eventually lead to reforms widely known as the "Kim Rakyung Rule."
Her list of firsts only grew:
Youngest member of Korea's National Team at age 14
Strikeout leader at the 2018 WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup
First woman to record both a hit and scoreless innings in the Korean men's college league
2020 KBSA MVP
In 2025, the first Korean player signed to the Saitama Seibu Lions Ladies in Japan
Kim pairs a calm, analytical mound presence with a fastball that plays up thanks to elite command and late movement. She is a symbol of possibility in Korean baseball-and now, one of the most compelling arms entering the WPBL.
Jaida Lee (RHP - St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada)
At just 19, Jaida Lee has already carried the weight of national attention. The St. John's native became a household name during youth competition when she made headlines as the first girl to pitch for Newfoundland and Labrador's team in the Canada Summer Games, firing fastballs that topped 80 mph and filling stadiums with curious fans.
Now refining her craft at the University of British Columbia, Lee brings a combination of fearlessness and pure arm strength that makes her one of the youngest high-ceiling prospects in the pool. Her delivery is compact and athletic, the product of years of training against older, stronger competition.
While Lee is still early in her development compared to older prospects on this list, scouts see a future frontline WPBL pitcher with the upside to become a star. Her presence symbolizes the youth movement emerging in women's baseball-and how quickly the talent ceiling is rising.
Raine Padgham (RHP - Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)
Another rising Canadian arm, Raine Padgham represents the next wave of power pitching coming out of British Columbia. Born in 2005 and also developing at the University of British Columbia, Padgham brings a disciplined, technical style to the mound-clean mechanics, repeatable releases, and a reputation for attacking hitters in the zone.
She made national news at 15 when she recorded an 83 mph fastball, setting a world record for a female pitcher in her age group. Her trajectory since then has reflected steady growth: polishing secondary pitches, adding late movement, and showing the mound maturity of a veteran.
Padgham's combination of size, projection, and competitive calm makes her one of the safest-and most scalable-pitching prospects in the 2025 class.
Ayami Sato (RHP - Tokorozawa, Japan)
For many in the global women's baseball community, Ayami Sato is the standard. A longtime ace of the Japan Women's National Team and already considered one of the most accomplished women to ever take a mound, Sato brings championship pedigree and a mastery of pitching artistry rarely seen at any level.
A three-time WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup MVP, Sato is known for her ability to manipulate the ball in ways that defy traditional scouting language: late-breaking cutters, tumbling changeups, and pinpoint command that forces hitters into uncomfortable decisions.
Sato enters the WPBL not as a "prospect" in the traditional sense, but as an anchor-the type of presence around which teams build culture, identity, and expectations. Her experience offers an invaluable benchmark for younger pitchers entering the league.
Alli Schroder (RHP - Fruitvale, British Columbia, Canada)
No Canadian pitcher has logged more years with the national program than Alli Schroder, a nine-time member of Team Canada and two-time World Cup bronze medalist. Her journey from Beaver Valley T-ball fields to the world stage is a story of persistence, community support, and barrier-breaking achievement.
Schroder became the first woman ever to sign and play in the Canadian Collegiate Baseball Conference, earning national attention while studying at Vancouver Island University. Off the field, she works as a wildland firefighter for the BC Wildfire Service-one of the physically toughest jobs in the country.
Her experiences have shaped a pitcher defined by grit: efficient mechanics, competitive focus, and the ability to execute under pressure. Schroder is also a visible ambassador for women's baseball, featured prominently in the Grassroots Baseball: See Her Be Her project and TSN's High Heat documentary.
In the WPBL, she projects as a dependable rotation arm and a clubhouse leader from day one.
Kelsie Whitmore (RHP/OF - San Diego, California, USA)
One of the most recognizable names in women's baseball, Kelsie Whitmore brings a dual-threat profile few can match. Known to many as the trailblazing outfielder and pitcher who suited up for the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League, Whitmore has spent years competing against elite male professionals-an experience that sharpened her instincts on both sides of the ball.
As a pitcher, she features a late-moving fastball and a mix of breaking pitches she deploys with veteran savvy. As an outfielder, she has strong reads, a big arm, and a balanced offensive approach that gives teams flexibility in roster construction.
Whitmore's presence in the WPBL opens the door for creative lineup building. Whether she settles into a rotation role, becomes a high-leverage reliever, or continues as a true two-way threat, she enters the league as one of its most versatile and battle-tested athletes.
A New Era on the Mound
From teenage phenoms to international legends, the WPBL's inaugural pitching class represents not just talent, but momentum. These six athletes come from different countries, different developmental paths, and different eras of the sport-but they share a common throughline: they've each pushed the game forward before the league ever threw its first pitch.
When the WPBL draft arrives, they won't just be names on a board.
They'll be the arms shaping a new chapter in professional baseball-and the standard by which future generations will measure themselves.
Women's Professional Baseball League Stories from November 13, 2025
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
