Kenji Tomashino

Kenji Tomashino (笘篠 賢治)

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 173 lb.

• College Chuo University
• High School Uenomiya High School

• Born October 11, 1966 in Matsumae, Ehime Japan

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Infielder Kenji Tomashino, the brother of Seiji Tomashino, played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 9 years.

Tomashiro played on Japan's team in the 1988 Olympics, and he was on Team Japan for the 1988 Baseball World Cup. The main left fielder for the team, he only hit .217/.217/.261. He did steal six bases in six tries to tie Tom Goodwin and Julio Medina for the lead in the tournament. He was drafted in the third round of the 1988 NPB draft by the Swallows. As a rookie, he hit .263/.333/.352 and stole 32 bases (caught 15 times, though) in 1989 and the second baseman was named Central League Rookie of the Year. He tied Yutaka Takagi for 2nd in steals in the Central League. He had a chance to lead the CL in steals, but Kozo Shoda stole six bags in the last game of the season and surpassed him.

The Ehime native had a sophomore slump in 1990 and fell to .228/.256/.317. In 1991, Kenji hit .248/.289.362 and swiped 16 in 21 tries. His playing time got cut in 1992 and he batted .257/.310/.313 in 73 games. He faced his brother's Seibu Lions in the 1992 Nippon Series, and he went 2-for-14 and the Lions ebat teh Swallows in 7 games. In 1993, Tomashino produced a .272/.322/.313 line in 82 games, but only stole 5 bases in nine attempts. The 1994 season only saw Tomashino in 17 contests with Yakult, managing a miserable .161/.188/.258 line. Kenji did not play for the top team at all in 1995, when he was still just 28.

Tomashino was a backup second baseman and hit a strong .301/.348/.367 in part-time duty in 1996 and then did not play for the Swallows again in '97. In 1998, Kenji joined the Hiroshima Carp and hit .253/.288/.382 as a frequently used backup at 2B. He finished his career with a .212/.241/.346 year for the 1999 Carp and he announced his retirement. After retiring as a player, he was the fielding coach for Hiroshima from 2000 to 2002. While his career would likely be termed a disappointment, he had been both an Olympian and Rookie of the Year.

Ovwrall, Tomashino hit .254/.303/.343 with 79 steals in 117 attempts in 9 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan
• Japanbaseballdaily.com by Gary Garland