Koji Fukutani

Koji Fukutani (福谷 浩司)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 198 lbs.

• School Keio University
• High School Yokosuka High School

• Born January 9, 1991 in Chita, Aichi, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Koji Fukutani has pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Fukutani was drafted by the Chunichi Dragons in the first round of the 2012 NPB draft, but he only had 9 appearances with the big club in his first season. He became one of the most dominant relievers in 2013, pitching a Central League-leading 72 games with a 1.81 ERA, and notching 32 holds and 11 saves. He ranked 3rd in holds (6 behind Shinobu Fukuhara) and 7th in saves (28 behind Seung-hwan Oh). He was selected into the 2014 NPB All-Star Game, and relieved Daisuke Yamai in the 7th inning in Game 2. He gave up three straight singles to Yuki Yanagita, Keiji Obiki and Dai-Kang Yang, then retired Ginji Akaminai to escape the jam. He then pitched in the 8th inning, retired Yuya Hasegawa and struck out Hideto Asamura and Kenta Imamiya; Kam Mickolio succeed him. Fukutani got 16 votes for the 2014 Central League Rookie of the Year Award, finishing third behind Daichi Osera's 217 votes and Katsuki Matayoshi's 26.

The Aichi native was the closer for the Dragons in 2014, but his ERA rose to 4.05 although he still collected 19 saves. He ranked 6th in saves, 22 behind Tony Barnette. Shinji Tajima replaced him as closer in 2015, so he only collected 8 saves with a 4.05 ERA in 41 games. Fukutani still struggled in the next two seasons as his ERA was higher than 5, and he only pitched one game in 2019.

The Dragons turned Fukutani into a starter in 2020, and he came back as he recorded a 2.64 ERA in 14 games and collected 8 wins. However, His ERA rose to 4.53 in 18 starts in 2021, and he had a terrible 9.00 ERA in 5 starts in 2022. Fukutani started 14 games in 2023, but he still had a 5.17 ERA with a 3-4 record.

Fukutani's repertoire features a fastball that peaks at 97.5 mph, a slider and a changeup.