Fumihito Haraguchi
| Fumihito Haraguchi | |
|---|---|
 Haraguchi with the Hanshin Tigers | |
| Hanshin Tigers – No. 94 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: March 3, 1992 Saitama, Japan | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| NPB debut | |
| April 27, 2016, for the Hanshin Tigers | |
| NPB statistics (through 2016) | |
| Batting average | .299 |
| Hits | 95 |
| Home runs | 11 |
| RBI | 46 |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Fumihito Haraguchi (原口 文仁, Haraguchi Fumihito, born March 3, 1992 in Yorii, Saitama, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays catcher for the Hanshin Tigers.
Early Baseball Career
A native of Saitama Prefecture, Fumihito began playing baseball in fourth grade, and went on to play for the Yorii Little Seniors (currently the Fukaya Saihoku Little Seniors) in junior high. But it wasn't until his second year in Teikyo High School that he switched permanently to the catcher role.[1]
When his school represented Eastern Tokyo in the 2009 Summer Koshien, he batted clean-up and averaged 0.385 in 3 games, helping his team reach the semi-finals. Despite not winning the championship, his performance at the plate and experience as a catcher earned him a spot in the national team for the US-Japan High School Baseball Tournament.[2][3] According to an interview, he was so passionate about baseball that even after his classes, various club activities, and a 4-hour commute to his school in Tokyo and back to Saitama, he would spend hours into the night practicing with his father's home-made batting cage in their backyard.[4]
Hanshin Tigers
He was the Hanshin Tiger's 6th round pick in the autumn 2009 professional draft. He signed an initial 30-million contract for an annual salary of 4.8 million yen, and was assigned the jersey number 52.[5]
Farm Leagues (2010-2015)
He batted 0.143 in nine Western League (farm) games during his first year. The following year, his performance improved, and though still at the farm, he was given more chances at the plate. He finished the season with a BA of 0.329, 26 hits, 11 RBIs and 2 home runs.
Due to recurring hip injuries throughout the 2012 season, he only managed to appear in 16 games, and finished with a 0.189 BA and 5 RBIs.[6] Because he was unable to make it to the main roster for three years, he was released from his contract at the end of the season, and was instead offered to sign a 1-year Ikusei (development) contract, and his jersey number changed to 124.[7]
2013 was another injury-plagued year for Haraguchi, as a pitch fractured his left hand during a batting practice.[8][9] He only managed to play in 17 farm games for the entire season, but luckily, the Tigers decided to renew his Ikusei contract for another year.[10][11]
2014 and 2015 proved to be better seasons as he appeared in more and more games. However, his performance at the plate, while enough to keep his contract getting renewed, still failed to earn him a spot in the main roster.
2016
With a new manager coming in, the 2016 season proved to be the break-out year for Haraguchi. He was assigned to train with the main roster during spring camp, and played all the way until the pre-season exhibition games. In April 27, the team decided to return him to the roster, assigned him the jersey number 94, and straight away called him to his first match.[12] He debuted as a pinch-hitter on the bottom of the 5th in the Giants match at Koshien, remained as catcher, and scored his first hit as a pro on the 8th inning against Kazuto Taguchi. The following day, he scored the 2-base hit that tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, preventing the Giants to win as the game ended in a draw until the 12th. Because of his sudden assignment to the main squad and jersey number change, he borrowed the uniform of 2nd-squad coach Katsuhiko Yamada (no.82) for two games.[13]
References
- ^ "深谷彩北リトルシニア「原口文仁さん（阪神タイガース）ら当リトルシニアOBが室内練習場を訪問!!!」". 2014-12-30.
- ^ "ハムの隠し玉高校JAPAN帝京・原口". Nikkan Sports. 2009-10-29.
- ^ "プロ野球：ドラフト会議 帝京高校の原口捕手、阪神から6巡目指名／東京". Mainichi Shimbun. 2009-10-30.
- ^ "ドラ6原口「猛虎の星」になる!". Daily Sports. 2009-11-01.
- ^ "ドラ6原口"ポスト城島"は古田タイプ". Daily Sports. 2009-11-19.
- ^ "阪神原口 城島のニーパッドで実戦復帰だ". Nikkan Sports. 2012-07-04. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
- ^ "育成選手契約について". Hanshin Tigers Official Website. 2012-11-13. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
- ^ "阪神・育成枠の原口、死球受け左手尺骨を骨折". Sankei Sports. 2013-04-13. Retrieved 2013-10-13.
- ^ "原口「やりましたぁ！」初のサヨナラ打". Daily Sports. 2016-05-20.
- ^ "2013年度 自由契約選手（育成選手）". NPB Official Website. 2013-11-01.
- ^ "育成選手との再契約について". Hanshin Tigers Official Website. 2013-12-11.。
- ^ "原口文仁選手と支配下選手契約を締結". 阪神タイガース. 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
- ^ "金本阪神 諦めん!土壇場9回に沢村攻略 2点差追いつきドロー". Sports Nippon. 2016-04-28. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)
- NPB.com
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