Masahiko Tanaka

Masahiko Tanaka (田中 雅彦)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 165 lb.

• School Kindai University
• High School PL Gakuen High School

• Born January 9, 1982 in Tondabayashi, Osaka Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Masahiko Tanaka played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 8 years.

Tanaka hit .268 with 3 homers in his college career, and he won four Best Nine awards and a MVP. He was drafted by the Chiba Lotte Marines in the 2nd round of the 2003 NPB draft, and he stayed in the minors in his first three seasons. Tanaka went 1-for-16 in 2007, and he hit .258/.310/.288 in 45 games in 2008. His batting line was .266/.310/.359 in 2009, and he only got 6 at-bats in 2010. Tanaka then recorded a .209/.243/.269 batting line in 2011, and he played 50 games with a .205/.275/.229 batting line in 2012. The Marines traded him to the Yakult Swallows for Ryohei Kawamoto after the '12 season, and he was 10-for-41 in 2013. He only played 6 more games for the big club, and he announced his retirement in 2016. Tanaka then became the minor league battery coach for the Rakuten Golden Eagles from 2023 to 2024, and he coached their big club in 2025.

Overall, Tanaka hit .219/.274/.262 with 76 hits in 8 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan