Kazuyoshi Tatsunami

Kazuyoshi Tatsunami (立浪 和義) (Mr. Dragon)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 154 lb.
• High School PL Gakuen High School

• Born August 18, 1969 in Settsu, Osaka Japan

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Biographical Information

The number one draft choice of the Chunichi Dragons in the 1987 NPB draft, Kazuyoshi Tatsunami contributed little his first two seasons but then hit .303/.381/.456 in 1990. The next season, in 1991, the second baseman led the Central League with 87 runs scored - he hit .290/.379/.423 with 35 doubles, which would resemble his typical season during his career. In 1994, Tatsunami again led the Central in runs, this time with 90. In 1996 he made his first Best Nine, at 2B, when he hit .323/.404/.466; he was third in the league in average, second in hits (165) and second in doubles (39).

Tatsunami lost his driver's license in 2003 due to too many speeding incidents. In 2004 he made his second Best Nine, this time at third base, after hitting .308/.364/.384 - the numbers are deceptive as Chunichi played in a very pitcher-friendly environment. When Kosuke Fukudome was injured in the pennant race, Tatsunami and Alex Ochoa picked up the slack to lead the team to the Japan Series, which they lost in seven games to the Seibu Lions. In 2005 Tatsunami slipped, having his worst season since his teens as he hit .253/.345/.361; he broke into the record books when he hit his 450th double on May 19th, giving him the all-time mark for Nippon Pro Baseball; the prior record holder was Yutaka Fukumoto. After the year his salary was reduced to around $2 million and he said he would retire after 2006 unless he had a very good season. Tatsunami hit .263/.310/.320 in 2006 and followed with a .333/.385/.417 effort in the 2006 Japan Series.

After the 2006 season, Tatsunami signed for 100 million yen plus incentives, a pay cut of 125 million yen from the prior year. A key bench threat in 2007, he batted .275/.364/.367 in 109 AB over 101 games; he hit .352 with runners in scoring position, driving in 31. In the 2007 Japan Series, the veteran leader was 0 for 6 with 2 walks and three strikeouts but Chunichi still won its first Japan Series in over 50 years. In 2009, Tatsunami became the 7th NPB player to reach 10,000 plate appearances. He retired after that season, just missing the chance to play in four decades.

A leader for the Dragons for 22 years, Tatsunami filled in wherever needed, playing second, third and the outfield and batting at the top of the order and in the heart of the order. His 2,480 hits, 1,175 runs and and his 1,086 walks all place him among the all-time NPB leaders. He had his 172nd three-hit game in 2006, passing Sadaharu Oh for second all-time in the Central League, behind only Shigeo Nagashima (186). Not bad for a guy who had only two Best Nine seasons and played in a pitcher's paradise a great deal. The multi-talented Tatsunami is an example of a player who did everything well - some power, some speed, some walks and some contact - but had no trademark skill to make him stand out from the crowd. Although his all-time doubles record earned him some of the attention he warranted. Alonzo Powell commented that "there's no doubt that he could play in the Major Leagues", but his career peaked before movement from NPB to MLB was common.

He coached for the Japanese national team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic and was elected to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019. He worked as a baseball commentator after his playing career ended. In 2022, he became manager of Chunichi, replacing Tsuyoshi Yoda‎ and the team finished last at 66-75-2, but only three games out of a playoff spot.