Tsuyoshi Nishioka

From BR Bullpen

Tsuyoshi Nishioka

Bats Both, Throws Right
Height 5' 11", Weight 165 lb.

High School Osak Toin High School
Born July 27, 1984 in Nara, Nara Japan

After 42 homers in high school, Tsuyoshi Nishioka was a first-round draft pick of the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2002. After some time on the farm, he came up in 2003 and was 3 for 9 with 2 doubles and 2 walks in seven games. In 2004, Nishioka became a switch-hitter and hit .255/.304/.396 as a part-timer. Becoming a full-timer at age 21, Tsuyoshi batted .268/.320/.394 in 2005. While his OPS was merely okay for a middle infielder, he showed superb defense and speed, stealing 41 bases in 50 tries to lead the Pacific League in swipes. He also led with 11 triples, one less than the next two players combined. He played 91 games at second base and 63 at short, often moving from one spot to the other as 2B Koichi Hori and SS Makoto Kosaka continued to get most of the playing time at each slot, while Nishioka overall had more AB and games than either starter. Nishioka's versatility won him an odd combination - a Gold Glove at second base and a Best Nine selection as a shortstop. He became the first player ever to win these honors in the same year at different positions. He also led the PL with a .377 average with runners in scoring position. He hit .294/.333/.353 (though caught in both steal attempts) in the 2005 Japan Series as Chiba Lotte swept the Hanshin Tigers in four straight. Nishioka then played in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and the 22-year-old led the tournament with five stolen bases and was among the leaders in hits, runs and total bases. After the 2005 season, Chiba Lotte let former Rookie of the Year Kosaka go to free up the starting shortstop spot for the fast-footed phenom. In 2006, Nishioka hit .282/.358/.390 and stole 33 bases. He was part of a four-way tie for the PL lead in triples, tied Benny Agbayani for 7th with 49 walks and led in steals, but also in times caught (17).