Go Kida

Go Kida (喜田 剛)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 187 lb.

• School Fukuoka University
• High School Oki Gakuen High School

• Born October 25, 1979 in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Go Kida has played in Nippon Pro Baseball and for the Japanese national team.

Kida was drafted by the Hanshin Tigers in the seventh round of the 2001 NPB draft. He spent the first five years mainly on the NPB Farm Leagues, only had 8 appearances combined. He also represented Japan in the 2002 Asian Games, going 7 for 22 with 3 homers and 9 RBI as Japan's left fielder, hitting in the heart of the lineup for the Bronze Medal winners. He hit .303 with 21 homers in the ni-gun in 2005, and recorded a .278 average with 14 homers in 2006. He led the Western League in homers, runs, hits and RBI in 2006. The Tigers then traded him to the Hiroshima Carp for Shinsuke Yamada after the 2006 season.

Kida hit .247/.319/.380 in 2007, then recorded a .239/.300/.413 line in 2008. He was the Carp's starting right fielder before the all-star game in 2007, but then the Carp used him as a 4th outfielder the rest of his career. He batted .254/.299/.397 in 2009, but the Carp demoted him after he recorded a 1-for-10 in 2010. He was traded with Masayuki Hasegawa to the Orix Buffaloes for Yuichiro Mukae on May 17 of that season. Kida only played 10 games for the Buffaloes with the big club, then he spent the rest of the season in the ni-gun. The Buffaloes traded him with Shogo Yamamoto to the Yokohama BayStars for Hayato Terahara and Kazuya Takamiya after the 2010 season. Kida didn't get any chances with the big club in 2011, then he announced his retirement after the 2011 season.

Overall, Kida had hit .249/.307/.391 in 8 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• NPB site
• Wiki Japan
• Wayback Archive, 2002 Asian Games