Katsutoshi Miwata

Katsushi Miwata (三輪田 勝利)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 176 lb.

• School Waseda University
• High School Chukyo Shogyo High School

• Born July 11, 1945 in Nishikasugai-gun, Aichi Japan
• Died November 27, 1998 in Okinawa, Okinawa Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Katsushi Miwata was a pitcher in Nippon Pro Baseball but was more noted for his work as a GM.

Miwata went 23-8 in college. He was on the Japanese national team that won the 1965 Asian Championship. The Kintetsu Buffaloes took him in the 1st round of the 1967 NPB draft, but he turned them down. After playing in the industrial leagues, the Hankyu Braves took him in the first round in 1969. He was 1-0 with a 2.48 ERA in 16 games in 1970 and 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in two games in 1971. That year, he led the minor Western League in wins. He had a 2-0, 1.50 record in 1972 to finish his NPB career with a fine 4-0, 2.31 mark, though opponents topped .300 against him each of the last two years. He coached for Hankyu in 1979-1980.

He was a scout and General Manager for the Orix BlueWave who was responsible for drafting and signing Ichiro Suzuki (4th-round pick in the 1991 NPB draft). He also suggested that the club use Ichiro as an outfielder, rather than a pitcher, despite his unorthodox style (Ichiro was a standout high school pitcher). The team won its only Japan Series in 1996.

After a disappointing 1998 season, Miwata sought to draft an impact player for the BlueWave. They team coveted and drafted pitching prospect Nagisa Arakaki from Okinawa Suisan High School. However, Arakaki wanted to play for the Daiei Hawks, managed by Sadaharu Oh. Miwata tried in vain to sign Arakaki. Distraught from his failed attempt to sign Arakaki, Miwata committed suicide by jumping from an 11th-floor apartment building in Okinawa.