Shunta Tanaka

Shunta Tanaka (田中 俊太)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 176 lb.

• School Tokai University
• High School Tokai University Sagami High School

• Born August 18, 1993 in Atsugi, Kanagawa Japan

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Shunta Tanaka was an infielder in Nippon Pro Baseball, like his brother Kosuke Tanaka.

Shunta helped Tokai University win the 2014 All-Japan University Baseball Championship Series. After college, he played for Hitachi in the industrial leagues and was named to the Best Nine at second base in 2016. He played for the Japanese national team that won the 2017 Asian Championship. He had four runs and five RBI in their opening rout of Hong Kong. For the event, he hit .333/.474/.533 with 7 runs and 6 RBI in five games, tying Akihiro Wakabayashi for the most runs on the championship team. He had 9 putouts, 9 assists and no errors. In the Gold Medal Game, he was 2 for 4 with a steal, run and RBI from the leadoff spot as Japan beat the host Taiwanese national team, 6-1. He did not make the All-Tournament team as Han Lin was picked at 2B.

The Yomiuri Giants took him in the 5th round of the 2017 NPB draft. He got into action on Opening Day, pinch-hitting for Seiji Kobayashi and singling off Randy Messenger. He played 99 games with a .241/.311/.320 batting line in 2018, then he hit .224/.285/.346 in 62 games in 2019. Tanaka had a 18-for-68 record in 2020, and he was 2-for-7 in the 2020 Nippon Series as the Giants were swept by the Softbank Hawks . The Yokohama BayStars selected him as the compensation for losing free agent Takayuki Kajitani, and he set the Central League opening day game record with 6 RBI on March 26 . However, he slumped to .146/.246/.146 in 58 games in 2021, and he was 3-for-19 in 2022. He didn't reach the big club in 2023, and the BayStars released him.

Overall, Tanaka hit .227/.296/.312 with 118 hits and 7 homers in 5 seasons in NPB.