Kosuke Matsuoka

Kosuke Matsuoka (松岡 功祐)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 7", Weight 167 lb.

• School Meiji University
• High School Kyushu Gakuin High School

• Born February 9, 1943 in Kumamoto, Kumamoto Japan

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Kosuke Matsuoka has been a player, coach and scout.

Matsuoka was a first-round pick of the Taiyo Whales in the 1966 NPB draft after playing for Sapporo Beer in the industrial leagues. The infielder (primarily shortstop) debuted in 1967, hitting .244/.302/.300 as a starter. He stole 11 bases but was thrown out 13 times, most in the Central League. Matsuoka batted .220/.263/.296 in 1968, his last season with 100+ games played. He was a part-timer in 1969 (.239/.305/.335 in 92 G), 1970 (.239/.270/.321 in 80 G) and 1971 (.286/.338/.326 in 80 G). In 1972, he hit .206/.274/.206 in 88 contests, followed by an even weaker .139/.205/.157 batting line in 63 games in 1973.

He presumably was a fine defensive player as he continued to see action - 49 games in 1974 (.184/.200/.204), 60 in 1975 (.222/.263/.278) and 42 in 1976 (.243/.282/.432). He was 3 for 7 in 1977, his final year.

Matsuoka retired with a batting line of .229/.282/.287 in 800 games in Nippon Pro Baseball, with only 18 steals in 41 attempts. Not a slugger, he had 3 home runs in 1,565 AB.

After his playing career ended, Kosuke was a defensive and baserunning coach for Taiyo from 1979 through 1989. He then scouted for the Yokohama BayStars, the successor to Taiyo.

Matsuoka became a coach with China's Tianjin Lions in 2008 and coached for the Chinese national team in the 2009 Asian Championship.

Sources

• Japanbaseballdaily.com
• Chinese Wiki Baseball