Katsuhiko Maekawa

From BR Bullpen

KatsuhikoMaekawa.jpg

Katsuhiko Maekawa (前川 勝彦)

  • Bats Left, Throws Left
  • Height 6' 1", Weight 216 lb.

BR register page

Biographical Information[edit]

Katsuhiko Maekawa pitched for a decade in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Maekawa was a first-round pick of the Kintetsu Buffaloes out of high school in the 1996 NPB draft. He allowed 8 runs in 5 innings for Kintetsu in 1997 and faced four batters in 1998, walking three and allowing one hit.

In 1999, the southpaw was 2-1 with a 5.13 ERA in 15 games. In 2000, Maekawa made the Pacific League All-Star team. For the season, the young hurler went 8-13 with a 4.16 ERA. He led the league in losses, walks (96) and innings (173). He was 5th in the league in ERA. Maekawa improved to 12-9 in 2001 but his ERA rose to 5.89; for his wins, he could probably thank the power duo of Tuffy Rhodes and Norihiro Nakamura, who propelled the Buffaloes to many wins. In the 2001 Japan Series, Maekawa moved to the bullpen and appeared in four of five games. He walked 7 and allowed 8 hits in 7 2/3 innings but only was charged with 3 runs.

Maekawa had a 4-11, 4.87 record in 2002. In 2003, Katsuhiko fell to 4-2, 7.38 in 16 games, only four of them starts. 2004 was even worse as he had a 0-2, 10.05 record for the Hanshin Tigers after a trade for Tetsuro Kawajiri. In 2005, Maekawa walked five and allowed 3 hits in 3 2/3 innings. Hanshin dealt Maekawa to the Orix Buffaloes for Takashi Aiki.

Maekawa was 1-7 with a 4.37 ERA for Orix in 2006. Overall, he went 31-45 with a 5.26 ERA in 149 games in NPB. He was involved in a hit-and-run car accident in January 2007 while driving without a license. Maekawa was promptly released. He was sentenced to two years in jail. Despite his criminal record and poor pitching ledger, the Washington Nationals signed Maekawa in February of 2008. His work visa was denied and he never pitched in their chain. The St. Louis Cardinals signed Maekawa to a minor league deal in December 2008. Assigned to the Memphis Redbirds, Maekawa made his US debut on April 13 with a scoreless inning, fanning one. He started a game two days later and was hammered for 11 hits and 8 runs in 5 innings, though he did strike out eight. He pitched 18 games in his lone season in the States, going 1-2 with a 5.04 ERA.

Sources[edit]

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