Shuto Sakurai

Shuto Sakurai (櫻井 周斗)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 10", Weight 176 lb.

• High School The Third High School of Nihon University

• Born June 25, 1999 in Tokorozawa, Saitama Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Shuto Sakurai has pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Sakurai represented Japan in the 2017 U-18 Baseball World Cup, hitting .333/.387/.370 as the main left fielder for the #3 team; on the mound, he walked 3 of 4 batters. The Yokohama BayStars selected him in the 5th round of the 2017 NPB draft, and his ERA was 7.03 in the NPB Farm Leagues in 2018. He represented Japan in the 2018 U-23 Baseball World Cup, throwing three shutout innings for the runners-up. Sakurai's ERA was 4.86 in 14 appearances in 2019, and he allowed 6 runs in 7 1/3 innings in 2020. He improved to a 3.07 ERA in 30 games in 2021, but he missed the next two seasons after he underwent left elbow injury.

The Rakuten Golden Eagles then selected him in the 2023 NPB Active draft, but he allowed 10 runs in 10 2/3 innings and he was released. Sakurai pitched for the Japan Breeze in the 2025 Caribbean Series, going 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in a team-high five innings. He lost to Johnny Cueto of the Leones del Escogido and led the event with 6 walks, one more than Esmil Rogers. The TSG Hawks of the CPBL signed him.

Sources

• 2017 U-18 Baseball World Cup
• 2018 U-23 Baseball World Cup
• Wiki Japan
• Taiwan Baseball Wiki