Katsuhiro Hiratsuka

Katsuhiro Hiratsuka (平塚 克洋)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lbs.

• School Meiji University
• High School Kasukabe Kyoei High School

• Born January 29, 1966 in Sumida, Tokyo Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Katsuhiro Hiratsuka played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 11 years.

Hiratsuka was drafted by the Yokohama Taiyo Whales in the third round of the 1989 NPB draft, but he spent most of his first four seasons in the NPB Farm Leagues, and only played 51 games combined in the Central League. He was traded to the Orix BlueWave for Taro Hamuro after the 1993 season, but Hiratsuka still didn't get many chances, only playing 55 games combined with the big club over the next two years. Orix then traded him to the Hanshin Tigers for cash consideration before the 1996 season started.

The Tokyo native broke out in 1996, hitting .254/.330/.397 with 11 homers; he fractured his right foot on August 31 and missed the rest of the season. Hiratsuka improved to .293/.361/.444 with 17 homers in 1997, and he was selected into the 1997 NPB All-Star Game. Hiratsuka pinch-hit for Tomoaki Kanemoto in the 6th inning in Game 1 and Isao Koda retired him. He then pinch-hit for Teruyoshi Kuji in the 5th inning but Nobuyuki Hoshino forced him to foul out. When two All-Star outfielders, Alonzo Powell and Yasuaki Taiho, joined the team in 1998, Hiratsuka lost his spot and he only played 70 games with a .273/.352/.385 batting line. The Tigers then traded him to the Seibu Lions for Kento Sugiyama in the middle of the 1999 season after he hit .272/.292/.330 in 35 games for them. Hiratsuka had a .240/.338/.339 batting line with the Lions, then announced his retirement after hitting .246/.364/.326 in 2000. He was batting coach for the minor league team of the Tigers from 2002 to 2003 and 2005 to 2006. He served as batting coach for the big club in 2004 and fielding coach for the minor league team in 2007. He is a scout for the Tigers now (2023).

Overall, Hiratsuka had hit .263/.339/.386 with 440 hits and 43 homers in 11 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• NPB site
• Wiki Japan
• 1997 NPB All Star Game