Yoshihiko Morita

Yoshihiko Morita (森田 芳彦)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 149 lb.

• High School Fukushima High School

• Born February 5, 1962 in Kushima, Miyazaki Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Yoshihiko Morita played for Japan in the 1984 Olympics, when they finished in first place. Baseball was not yet a medal sport in the Olympics but he did win Gold with Japan, in the 1985 Asian Championship. He won Bronze in the 1985 Intercontinental Cup. The Lotte Orions picked him in the third round of the 1985 NPB draft. He hit .229/.325/.400 in 41 plate appearances stretched over 65 games in 1986 and was 3 for 20 with 4 walks and 11 runs in 51 games in 1987.

Morita hit .279/.343/.311 in 63 games in 1988 and saw his most action (133 AB, 86 games) in 1989, when his batting line was .226/.325/.278. The utility man played 79 games and had 91 plate appearances in 1990, managing a .270/.386/.338 line. He was only 4 for 26 in 1991 and 1 for 7 with two walks in 49 games in 1992. He was 0 for 1 in two games in 1993, spent two years on the farm and then retired.

In 436 games and 430 plate appearances in Nippon Pro Baseball, Morita hit .232/.328/.294.

Main Source: Japan Baseball Daily by Gary Garland