Ryota Katsuki

Ryota Katsuki (香月 良太)

• Bats Right Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 187 lb.

• High School Yanagawa High School

• Born July 27, 1982 in Kurume, Fukuoka Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Ryota Katsuki pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball for 12 years. His brother is former NPB player Ryoji Katsuki.

Katsuki was drafted by the Kintetsu Buffaloes in the free acquiring portion of the 2003 NPB draft, and he only pitched one game with the big club in his first season. His ERA was 2.36 in 17 games with 10 holds in 2005, and he slumped to a 12.71 ERA in 6 games in 2006. Katsuki allowed 4 runs in 5 innings in 2007, and he notched 8 holds with a 3.11 ERA in 32 games in 2008. He got 20 holds with a 4.18 ERA in 60 games in 2009, and he was 5th in holds (tied with Kanehisa Arime) and 2nd in appearances (6 behind Tadashi Settsu).

The Kurume native pitched 46 games with a 3.02 ERA in 2010, and he collected 16 holds with a 2.16 ERA in 46 games in 2011. His ERA rose to 5.18 in 52 games in 2012, and the Buffaloes traded him with Toru Anan to the Yomiuri Giants for Shun Tono and Kazunao Yamamoto. Katsuki struggled again in 2013 as his ERA was 6.13 in 19 games, then he notched 6 holds with a 4.21 ERA in 21 games in 2014. He recorded a 3.77 ERA in 14 games in 2015, but he stayed in the minors for the entire 2016 season and he announced his retirement. He was the pitching coach of the Saga Asia Dreams of the Kyushu Asia League in 2024.

Overall, Katsuki was 18-10 with a 3.88 ERA, collected 77 holds in 371 appearances, struck out 188 and pitched 373 2/3 innings in 12 seasons in NPB. As of 2024, he was 79th in holds, tied with Soichi Fujita and Kentaro Nishimura.

Sources

• Wiki Japan