Kentaro Takasaki

From BR Bullpen

Kentaro Takasaki (高崎健太郎)

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 5' 9", Weight 181 lb.

Born June 24, 1985 in Kumamoto Prefecture Japan

Kentaro Takasaki has pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Out of high school, Takasaki signed with Nissan in the industrial leagues. He joined the Japanese national team in 2005, appearing in the 2005 Asian Championship and 2005 Baseball World Cup. In the World Cup, he was arguably Japan's best hurler, with a 0.61 ERA in 5 games. He got the win over Australia and fanned 19 in 14 2/3 IP. He just missed the top 5 in the event in ERA.

Takasaki was a "draftee request signing" of the Yokohama BayStars and debuted with them in 2007, going 2-1 with a 5.40 ERA in nine outings. He spent most of the year in ni-gun, leading the minor Eastern League with 10 wins. His first strikeout in ichi-gun came against Michihiro Ogasawara. In 2008, Kentaro faded to 0-2, 7.94, allowing a .385 average (30 hits in 17 innings) in 11 games for Yokohama.

Takasaki throws a fastball (around 93 mph peak), slider, curveball and forkball.