Daisuke Masuda

Daisuke Masuda (益田 大介)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 165 lbs.

• School Ryukoku University
• High School Takikawa Daini High School

• Born September 27, 1973 in Akashi, Hyogo Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Daisuke Masuda played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 11 years.

Masuda won three Best Nine awards while hitting .311 with 9 homers in the Kansai6 Baseball League. He was drafted by the Chunichi Dragons in the sixth round of the 1995 NPB draft, and he hit .301/.400/.369 in 49 games in his rookie year. He then took the starting center fielder spot in 1997, and he hit .269/.341/.361 with a Central League-leading 8 triples. However, the 1997 season was his only season as a starter, and he lost his spot when Koichi Sekikawa joined the team. He then hit .231/.299/.289 in 1998, and he stayed in the NPB Farm Leagues for nearly the entire 1999 season. He was 5-for-9 in the 1999 Nippon Series, but the Dragons lost to the Daiei Hawks in 5 games.

The Akashi native missed the 2000 season due to a right shoulder injury, and he was traded to the Kintetsu Buffaloes for cash. He hit .340/.446/.468 as their main pinch-hitter in 2001, and he was 0-for-3 in the 2001 Nippon Series. The Buffaloes were beaten by the Yakult Swallows in 5 games. Masuda then slumped to .208/.236/.245 in 2002, and he soon bounced back in 2001 and hitting .277/.376/.543 with a career-high 7 homers. His batting line was .272/.333/.361 2004, then he was assigned to the newly-founded Rakuten Golden Eagles. Masuda hit .252/.311/.327 in 2005, but he only played 16 games in 2006 then he announced his retirement. He then coached the Golden Eagles from 2013 to 2014. He then scouted for them, signing Mao Itoh.

Overall, Masuda hit .267/.340/.367 with 306 hits and 16 homers in 11 years in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan
• NPB.com Bio