Michihiro Takabatake

Michihiro Takabatake (高畠 導宏)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 7", Weight 162 lb.

• School Chuo University
• High School Okayama Minami High School

• Born January 18, 1944 in Kurashiki, Okayama Japan
• Died July 1, 2004 in Shinjuku, Tokyo Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Michihiro Takabatake has played in Nippon Pro Baseball. He changed his name to Yasumasa Takabatake in 1977.

Takabatake was on the Japanese national team in the 1967 Asian Championship as the country won its fifth title. The Yomiuri Giants drafted him in the fifth round of the 1966 NPB draft, but he refused to sign, and joined Japan Energy in the Industrial League. The Nankai Hawks drafted him again in the fifth round of the 1968 NPB draft. Takabatake suffered from a right shoulder injury, which limited him into 48 games played combined in the first two years of his career. He broke out and hit .312/.364/.420 in 1970, then recorded a .310/.383/.405 batting line in 1971. However, the injury still disturbed him, and he only batted .185/.239/.284 in 1972. Takabatake announced his retirement after the 1972 season, and became a coach. He was the ni-gun hitting coach for the Hawks in 1973, their big club hitting coach from 1974 to 1977 and from 1991 to 1994. He transferred to the Lotte Orions and worked as hitting coach from 1980 to 1988 and in 2002. He was also the hitting coach for the Yakult Swallows in 1990, for the Chunichi Dragons from 1996 to 1997, and for the Orix Buffaloes from 1999 to 2001.

Overall, Takabatake had hit .263/.321/.350 in 5 seasons in NPB.