Ginjiro Sumitani

Ginjiro Sumitani (炭谷 銀仁朗)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 205 lb.
• High School Heian High School

• Born July 19, 1987 in Kyoto, Kyoto Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Ginjiro Sumitani has been a backup catcher for the Seibu Lions for several years.

Sumitani was a second-round pick in the 2005 NPB draft. He debuted as a teenager, hitting .181/.193/.290 in 54 games in 2006 as the backup to Toru Hosokawa. On March 29, he hit a grand slam off D.J. Carrasco in his 4th game as a pro, only the 5th player straight from high school to hit a grand slam in his first year in NPB. He also became the first rookie out of high school to homer twice in a game since Hideki Matsui 13 years earlier.

In 2007, he appeared in 28 games, batting .174/.204/.304. He played 46 games in 2008, hitting .129/.149/.188 with 30 strikeouts in 64 AB. Seibu won both the 2008 Japan Series and 2008 Asia Series.

Primary Sources

• Japanesebaseball.com
• Japan Baseball Daily

Related Sites

• Wiki Baseball (in Chinese)