Hidenori Kuramoto

Hidenori Kuramoto (蔵本 英智) (Kurara)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 158 lb.

• School Meijo University
• High School Gifu Shogyo High School

• Born May 9, 1976 in Hashima, Gifu Japan

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Biographical Information

Hidenori Kuramoto has been an outfielder in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Kuramoto was a 4th-round pick of the Chunichi Dragons in the 1998 NPB draft. He made it to the big club in 2001, hitting .311/.354/.400 in 15 games. He got his first hit on September 24, a single against Greg Hansell. His first homer was a 2-run shot off Hiroki Kuroda on October 5. In 2002, he was a part-time center fielder, hitting .270/.292/.383 in 72 games (123 plate appearances). He was a defensive sub for Takayuki Onishi and Koichi Sekikawa in 2003, with only 36 plate appearances in 61 games (he hit .273/.333/.303).

Kuramoto was Chunichi's #4 outfielder in 2004, backing up Kazuki Inoue in left, Alex Ochoa in center and Kosuke Fukudome in right. He put up a .269/.323/.338 line in 221 plate appearances (107 games) and stole 11 bases in 14 tries. He played error-free ball; despite not being a starter, he won a Gold Glove, joining Ochoa and Norihiro Akahoshi as the Central League flyhawks so honored. With Fukudome injured, Kuramoto was 2 for 10 with a triple and three runs in the 2004 Japan Series.

Kuramoto was a defensive sub and pinch-runner in 2005. He had just 61 plate appearances in 81 games. Fielding perfectly again, he was just 4 for 52 with four walks at the plate. He scored 14 runs. Kuramoto was up to 288 plate appearances and 124 games in 2006, batting .215/.237/.266. He got Chunichi's most games in center field; Fukudome often started there, though, and moved to right later in the contest. He was 1 for 3 with a run in the 2006 Japan Series.

In 2007, Kuramoto hit .278/.321/.389 with 8 steals in 10 tries in 99 games. He did not play in the 2007 Japan Series (won by Chunichi) as Atsushi Fujii and Ryosuke Hirata got the action in center. In 77 plate appearances and 77 games in 2008, the veteran struggled at .214/.236/.314. He batted .215/.226/.256 in 128 plate appearances (71 games) in 2009.

Kuramoto hit .220/.270/.283 in 147 plate appearances and 68 games in 2010.

Source: Japanbaseballdaily.com