Shuto Takajoh

Shuto Takajoh (高城 俊人)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 176 lb.
• High School Kyushu International University High School

• Born May 3, 1993 in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Japan

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Biographical Information

Shuto Takajoh caught in Nippon Pro Baseball for 10 years.

Takajoh was drafted by the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in the 2nd round of the 2011 NPB draft, and he hit .170/.254/.198 in 45 games in his rookie year. He struggled again at the plate as his batting line was .136/.188/.173 in 2013, and he went 10-for-69 in 48 games in 2014. Tkajoh had his busiest season at the top level was in 2015 when he appeared in 64 games for the BayStars, batting .202/.270/.279 with 7 doubles. He then hit .163/.238/.185 in 47 games in 2016, and he only played 29 games with a 14-for-56 record in 2017. In spite of that, he had the highlight of his career in Game 4 of the 2017 Japan Series on November 1st. With Yokohama facing elimination against the powerful Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, representing the Pacific League, he drove in three runs, including a homer off Ryota Igarashi in a 6-0 win while also catching a masterful performance by rookie Haruhiro Hamaguchi, who did not give up his first hit until one out in the 8th.

The Fukuoka native was 9-for-66 in 2018, and he was traded with Hiroyuki Shirasaki to the Orix Buffaloes for Ken Akama and Hikaru Ito. Takajoh only played 5 games for their top team in 2019, and he was released. He returned to play for Yokohama in 2020 and 2021 before spending all of 2022 in the minor league Eastern League (he was briefly on the top team's roster in August as the replacement for catcher Naoto Chino, who tested positive for COVID-19, but then tested positive himself four days later, before he could get into a game). Takajoh announced his retirement after that season.

Overall, Takajoh hit .172/.239/.228 with 118 hits and 4 homers in 10 seasons in NPB.