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
Biographical Information[edit]
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.
Overall, Masuda hit .267/.340/.367 with 306 hits and 16 homers in 11 years in NPB.
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