Kotaro Kurebayashi

Kotaro Kurebayashi (紅林 弘太郎)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 180 lbs.

• High School Suruga Sogo High School

• Born February 7, 2002 in Fujieda, Shizuoka Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Kotaro Kurebayashi has played in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Kurebayashi was drafted by the Orix Buffaloes in the second round of the 2019 NPB draft, and he spent almost his entire rookie year in the NPB Farm Leagues, only played 5 games with the big club. He broke out in 2021, hitting .228/.251/.353 and became the first player in Orix's history to crush more than 10 homers before he turned 20. In the 2021 Nippon Series, he was 7-for-19 with a double, but couldn't stop the Yakult Swallows from beating the Buffaloes in 6 games. He got 4 votes for the 2021 Pacific League Rookie of the Year Award, finishing third behind Hiroya Miyagi's 255 votes and Hiromi Itoh's 21.

The Shizuoka native only hit .224/.275/.318 in 2022, but he still went 8-for-27 with 3 doubles in 2022 Nippon Series and won his first Nippon Series title as the Buffaloes avenged their 2021 loss, topping the Swallows in 7 games. His 15 hits in a Nippon Series was the most in team history. Kurebayashi improved in 2023, hitting .275/.318/.377 with 8 homers and attended the 2023 NPB All-Star Games. He was 0-for-1 in Game 1, then went 3-for-4 with 2 runs in Game 2. Orix won the third straight PL pennant, and Kurebayashi shined in the postseason again. He was 3-for-10 with 3 RBI - all in Game 4 - and helped the Buffaloes beat the Chiba Lotte Marines in the final stage of the 2023 PLCS. In the 2023 Nippon Series, Kurebayashi hit .400/.538/.700 with 3 RBI, and a homer off Shoki Murakami in Game 6, and won the fighting spirit award (as MVP of the losing team) as the Buffaloes were beaten by the Hanshin Tigers in 7 games. He also gained 226 points to win his first Best Nine as a shortstop (ahead of Kenta Imamiya's 19).