Kenji Tomashino

Kenji Tomashino (笘篠 賢治)

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 173 lb.

• College Chuo University
• High School Uenomiya High School

• Born October 11, 1966 in Matsumae, Ehime Japan

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Biographical Information

Infielder Kenji Tomashino, the brother of Seiji Tomashino, played on Japan's team in the 1988 Olympics and later tied a Yakult Swallows club record by stealing six times in a game.

In addition to his Olympic stint, Tomashino was on Team Japan for the 1988 Baseball World Cup. The main left fielder for the team, he only hit .217/.217/.261. He did steal six bases in six tries to tie Tom Goodwin and Julio Medina for the lead in the tournament.

He was drafted in the third round of the 1988 NPB draft by the Swallows. As a rookie, he hit .263/.333/.352 and stole 32 bases (caught 15 times, though) and the second baseman was named Central League Rookie of the Year. He had a sophomore slump in 1990 and fell to .228/.256/.317. In 1991, Kenji hit .248/.289.362 and swiped 16 in 21 tries. His playing time got cut in '92 and he batted .257/.310/.313. In 1993, Tomashino produced a .272/.322/.313 line in 82 games, but only stole 5 bases in nine attempts. '94 only saw Tomashino in 17 contests with Yakult, managing a miserable .161/.188/.258 line. Kenji did not play for the top team at all in 1995, when he was still just 28.

Tomashino was a backup second baseman and hit a strong .301/.348/.367 in part-time duty in 1996 and then did not play for the Swallows again in '97. In 1998, Kenji joined the Hiroshima Carp and hit .253/.288/.382 as a frequently used backup at 2B. He finished his career with a .212/.241/.346 year for the 1999 Carp and retired with a career line of .254/.303/.343 and 79 steals in 117 attempts. After retiring as a player, he coached for Hiroshima. While his career would likely be termed a disappointment, he had been both an Olympian and Rookie of the Year.

Source: Japanbaseballdaily.com by Gary Garland