Hirokazu Kato

Hirokazu Kato (加藤 博一)

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 160 lb.

• High School Taku Kogyo High School

• Born October 9, 1951 in Taku, Saga Japan
• Died January 21, 2008 in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Hirokazu Kato stole 169 bases in Nippon Pro Baseball. Primarily an outfielder, he also played first base, second base and third base.

Not picked in the draft, Kato was signed by the Nishitetsu Lions after an open try-out in 1970. He debuted with the Lions in 1972, going 0 for 1 with a run and a time caught stealing in three games. He never made it into another game for Nishitetsu before being traded to the Hanshin Tigers in 1976. He was 0 for 1 in 1976. In 1977, he was 2 for 6 with a triple, walk and stolen base. In 1978, Kato hit .222/.276/.259 in 31 games. Kato became a semi-regular in 1979, getting 160 at-bats in 91 games and hitting .231/.285/.325. He had his first career homer that year, going deep against Suguru Egawa.

Kato became a starter in 1980 and put on a fine show as the 28-year-old batted .314/.360/.433 with 34 steals in 48 tries, four behind Central League stolen base leader Yoshihiko Takahashi. He tied Mitsuo Motoi for 4th in the CL in average. In 1981, Kato's production (.222/.275/.306) and playing time (57 games) fell significantly. He concluded his Hanshin career in 1982 when #8 hit just .165/.214/.165 in 84 plate appearances over 60 games.

Moving to the Taiyo Whales in 1983, Kato had another miserable season, batting only .139/.205/.250 in 80 plate appearances over 80 games; he was 8-for-8 in steal attempts. He had his second year as a regular in 1984, hitting .276/.322/.345 with 14 steals in 18 tries.

Kato had his second big year in 1985, when Sadao Kondo became manager and grouped Kato between Yutaka Takagi and Kaname Yashiki at the top of the order. They became known as the "Go-kart Trio" for their baserunning exploits. Kato hit .280/.350/.367 in 1985 with 48 steals in 66 tries. His 5 triples tied for the CL lead and his 39 sacrifice hits led the circuit.

Kato continued his hitting in 1986, batting .317/.352/.418 and swiping 22 bases in 30 tries. He made his lone All-Star team. He only had 299 plate appearances or he would have ranked 5th in the CL in batting average as the top Japanese native, trailing Randy Bass, Warren Cromartie, Carlos Ponce and Leon Lee.

Kato's last season with significant playing time was 1987 when he hit .268/.342/.343 in 97 games though he was only successful in half of his 14 steal attempts. In 1988, Kato batted .250/.307/.325 in 89 plate appearances over 72 games. In 76 games and 90 plate appearances in 1989, the Taiyo sub hit .263/.344/.382. He finished his career on a good note, producing at a .315/.383/.389 clip in 60 plate appearances (63 games) in 1990.

Overall, Kato played 1,063 games in NPB, hitting .271/.326/.359 in 2,619 plate appearances. He stole 169 bases in 236 attempts. After retiring, he became a TV personality and baseball commentator. He died of lung cancer at age 56.

Sources

• Japan Baseball Daily by Gary Garland
• Yomiuri Shogun obituary