Makoto Moriyama

Makoto Moriyama (森山 周) (Lupan)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 160 lb.

• School Osaka Sangyo University
• High School Hotoku Gakuen High School

• Born August 11, 1981 in Kawanishi, Hyogo Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Makoto Moriyama has played every infield and outfield position in his Nippon Pro Baseball.

Moriyama played for Yamaha in the Japanese industrial leagues after college. He was a fourth-round pick of the Orix Buffaloes in the 2005 NPB draft. He debuted in NPB as a pinch-runner for Kazuhiro Kiyohara. In his first at-bat, he had an infield hit off Masaki Hayashi. He hit .356/.453/.378 in 55 plate appearances over 35 games, stealing 3 bases in 4 tries in 2006. He was a third-stringer at second base, fielding .972, while backing up Makoto Shiozaki and Eiji Mizuguchi. In 2007, he was 0 for 13 with a run. He backed up Mitsutaka Goto and Masahiro Abe at 2B.

In 2008, Moriyama hit .207/.266/.224 in 67 plate appearances over 42 games and was just 4-for-7 in steals. He fielded .957 at shortstop, which was his main position, backing up Keiji Obiki and Goto. He played all four infield spots and the outfield in 2009 but only had 12 plate appearances (0 for 11, BB, 3 SB, 1 CS). He hit .331/.367/.346 in 149 plate appearances over 68 games in 2010 and stole 5 bases in 7 tries, scoring 26 runs. #0 backed up Takahiro Okada in LF and Shogo Akada in RF, with 60 putouts, one assist and no errors. He did not appear on the infield at all.

The speedy Kawanishi native struggled as Okada's backup in left in 2011, also seeing some action in RF; he produced at just a .186/.227/.195 clip in 125 plate appearances over 85 games and again stole 5 bases while being caught twice. He barely played in 2012, going 4 for 26 with a walk, two runs and a steal. A free agent, he signed with the Rakuten Golden Eagles. He was primarily a defensive sub in left field and pinch-runner in 2013, backing up Shintaro Masuda; he hit .272/.344/.272 in 95 plate appearances, stole 11 bases in 13 tries and scored 20 times in 89 games. He had 62 putouts, one assist and no errors. He was second on the team in swipes behind Ryo Hijirisawa. In the 2013 Japan Series, he played four games but did not get an at-bat, pinch-running for Andruw Jones three times and Kazuya Fujita once and twice replacing Jones in LF. He came up big in game 5; with one out in the bottom of the 10th, he made a great catch to rob José López of a hit in a Rakuten win. They won the Series in 7.