Hiroyuki Oze

From BR Bullpen

HiroyukiOze.jpg

Hiroyuki Oze (小瀬 浩之)

  • Bats Left, Throws Right
  • Height 5' 11", Weight 160 lb.

BR register page

Biographical Information[edit]

Hiroyuki Oze played two seasons in Nippon Pro Baseball as an outfielder.

Oze's mother died while he was a freshman in college; he considered quitting baseball but remained active. He was a third-round draft pick of the Orix Buffaloes in the 2007 NPB draft. In 2008, he hit .262/.342/.346 in 58 games as a backup outfielder. His first hit came on July 15, an infield hit off Hiroyuki Kobayashi. In a similar role in 2009, he played 78 games and improved his batting average while keeping his OPS relatively steady, with a batting line of .303/.335/.359. Both seasons, he was 7-for-10 in steal attempts.

In February 2010, Oze died of an apparent suicide by jumping off the roof of the team's hotel during spring training.

Source: Japan Baseball Daily by Gary Garland