Kotaro Kiyomiya

Kotaro Kiyomiya
Kotaro Kiyomiya batting for his High School team
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters – No. 21
First baseman, Left fielder
Born: (1999-05-25) May 25, 1999
Tokyo, Japan
Bats: Left Throws: Right
NPB debut
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
NPB statistics
Batting average .280
Home runs 1
Hits 9
Runs batted in 1
Runs 4
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Japanese High School Baseball

  • Holds Japanese High School Baseball record for most Home Runs with 111 home runs[1]

Kotaro Kiyomiya (清宮 幸太郎, Kiyomiya Kotaro) is a Japanese baseball player who currently plays for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) Pacific League as a First Baseman. A left-handed batter and right-handed thrower, Kotaro, who stands 6 feet 0 inches (1.84 m) tall and weighs 225 pounds (102 kg). He was the first pick of the Fighters in the 2017 draft. He is the son of notable Japanese rugby union coach, Katsuyuki Kiyomiya.

Early career

Kiyomiya drew major news attention since the 2012 Little League World Series, where at the age of 13 he employed an 80 mph fastball (major league equivalent of throwing 104 MPH) to lead Team Japan to a 12-2 LLWS championship win over Goodlettsville (TN). He was also noted to have hit 60 home runs in 50 games[2] Kiyomiya then went to Waseda Jitsugyo High School where he set the Japanese High School Baseball record for home runs with 111 home runs over three seasons in high school. On August 23, 2017 it was announced that he will serve as captain of Samurai Japan for the 2017 U-18 Baseball World Cup. Seven teams chose Kotaro in the first round of the 2017 draft, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters won the right to negotiate with Kiyomiya by winning the lottery.[3] Kotaro then chose the jersey number 21. [4]

Professional career

References

  1. ↑ Coskrey, Jason (26 October 2017). "Fighters land rights to prized slugger Kotaro Kiyomiya". Retrieved 3 December 2017 – via Japan Times Online.
  2. ↑ Zaldivar, Gabe. "Little League World Series: Japan's Kotaro Kiyomiya Is Biggest Little Star". Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  3. ↑ Coskrey, Jason (26 October 2017). "Fighters land rights to prized slugger Kotaro Kiyomiya". Retrieved 3 December 2017 – via Japan Times Online.
  4. ↑ "Nippon Ham, Kiyomiya No. 21 "To the batter who represents Japan"". 24 November 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
Preceded by
Japan national rugby union team 		Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize Winner
2016		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
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