Shinji Takahashi

From BR Bullpen

Shinji Takahashi (高橋 信二)

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 6' 0", Weight 187 lb.

BR register page

Biographical Information[edit]

Shinji Takahashi played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 15 years.

Takahashi was picked by the Nippon Ham Fighters in the 7th round of the 1996 NPB draft. He spent a few years in the minors before debuting in 2000 with a RBI double off Kiyoshi Toyoda in his first at-bat in the Pacific League; it was his only plate appearance that year in the PL. He went 6 for 22 with a walk in 2001 and 3 for 12 with a double a year later. Takahashi was thrust into the role as primary catcher for Nippon Ham in 2003; he hit .262/.305/.437; his first home run came off Daisuke Kato on April 8.

The Nippon Ham catcher had a great year in 2004, batting .285/.345/.535 with 26 HR and 84 RBI. He made the Pacific League All-Star team and he went 1-for-3 in the 2004 NPB All-Star Games. Takahashi set a franchise record for homers by a backstop. He was second on the team in homers and RBI behind Fernando Seguignol. He tied Koichi Isobe for 9th in the circuit in home runs, was 9th in slugging and 5th in average with runners in scoring position (.368). Following his big year, Takahashi slumped to .226/.254/.366 in 54 games in 2005 and missed time with a torn knee ligament. In 2006, he split catching duties with Shinya Tsuruoka and batted .251/.289/.363. He was 1 for 6 in the 2006 Japan Series as Nippon Ham won its first Japan Series title.

Takahashi hit .255/.306/.392 in 2007, hitting 4th or 5th at times. He was selected into the 2007 NPB All-Star Game, and he had a 0-for-2 record. He went 2 for 10 with a double in the 2007 Japan Series, but the Fighters lost to the Chunichi Dragons in 5 games. He remained in the heart of the order in 2008 and began playing some first base in lieu of Terrmel Sledge as well as DH and catcher. He hit .286/.333/.415 that year. Takahashi was a late addition to Japan's provisional roster for the World Baseball Classic, but he didn't made it onto Japan's 28-man roster.

The Okayama native was moved to first base because rookie Shota Ono shined in 2009, and he had his career year. He played 134 games with a .309/.358/.404 batting line, and he ranked 5th in batting (between Yuya Hasegawa and Hiroyuki Nakajima) and 6th in hits (157, tied with Eiichi Koyano). Takahashi was selected into the 2009 NPB All-Star Game, and he went 3-for-5, with a 2-run single against Yudai Kawai in Game 1. In the 2009 Nippon Series, Takahashi was 10-for-26 in 6 games, and he crushed a solo shot off Hisanori Takahashi in Game 4 and Tetsuya Yamaguchi in Game 5. The Fighters lost to the Yomiuri Giants, and he won the fighting spirit award as the MVP of the losing side. He also won the NPB Gold Glove and Best Nine as a first baseman. He gained 19 points in the MVP voting, and he was 10th between Makoto Kaneko and Toshiya Sugiuchi.

However, Takahashi slumped to .242/.320/.303 in 70 games in 2010, and the Fighters traded him to the Giants for cash. He was 8-for-44 in 2011, and the Giants released him. Takahashi signed with the Orix Buffaloes, and he recorded a .202/.237/.303 batting line in 28 games in 2012. He played 51 games with a .219/.242/.313 batting line in 2013, and he went 6-for-30 in 2014 and he announced his retirement. Takahashi was the assistant coach for the Fighters from 2015 to 2016, and he became their minor league battery coach from 2018 to 2020. He became their batting coach in 2021, and the Buffaloes named him their batting coach in 2022.

Overall, Takahashi hit .266/.316/.401 with 768 hits and 82 homers in 15 seasons in NPB.

Sources[edit]

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