Tetsuya Katahira

Tetsuya Katahira (片平 哲也)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 182 lb.

• High School Choshi Shogyo High School

• Born October 3, 1967 in Aizu Wakamatsu, Fukushima Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Tetsuya Katahira was a second-round draft pick of the Chunichi Dragons in the 1985 NPB draft. He debuted in Nippon Pro Baseball in 1987, hitting an impressive .393/.419/.571 with 10 RBI in 28 at-bats. That didn't convince them to give him more of a role in 1988, when he was 1 for 3.

In 1989, Katahira was farmed out to the USA's Peninsula Pilots, batting .216/~.242/.267 in 70 games; his numbers actually compare fairly well to some of his outfield mates on a weak squad. He wasn't the only Japanese player on the team as Koichi Ogata and Wataru Adachi were present.

Katahira returned to Japan in 1990 with the Hiroshima Carp, going 3 for 13 in 11 games. He retired the next year.

Overall, Tetsuya had hit .341/.362/.455 in his 48 plate appearances in NPB, but his US numbers indicate this might have been a fluke, explaining his limited opportunities.

Sources

• 1990 Baseball Almanac
• Japan Baseball Daily by Gary Garland