Joe Furukawa

Yuichi Furukawa (古河 有一)

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 171 lb.

• School UC Berkeley
• High School Canyon High School

• Born June 17, 1970 in Yokohama, Kanagawa Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Joe Furukawa played in Japan then became a translator and scout in the US.

Furukawa moved to the US from Japan at age 6. He played college ball at Berkeley but was not picked in the 1992 amateur draft. Trying out with the Hiroshima Carp instead, he won a contract with them. He played bits of two seasons in Nippon Pro Baseball. In 1995, the shortstop was 1 for 2, playing behind durable Kenjiro Nomura. He moved to the Yokohama BayStars in 1996 and was 0 for 5 behind another durable player, Takuro Ishii.

After retiring from Yokohama, he became a translator for the team. He then moved to the Texas Rangers as a scout and translator. He was expected to serve as a translator for Yu Darvish for much of 2012.

Sources

• 2012 Rangers Media Guide
• Japan Baseball Daily