Taiga Kasahara

Taiga Kasahara (笠原 大芽)

• Bats Right, Throws Left
• Height 6' 1", Weight 176 lb.

• High School Fukuoka Institute of Technology Jyoto High School

• Born January 20, 1995 in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Taiga Kasahara played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 2 years. His father Eiichi Kasahara and brother Shoki Kasahara both pitched in NPB.

Kasahara was drafted by the Softbank Hawks in the 5th round of the 2012 NPB draft, and he stayed in the minors in 2013. He went 4-3 with a 2.75 ERA in the NPB Farm Leagues in 2014, and he pitched 3 games with a 12.46 ERA for the Gigantes de Carolina in the winter. Kasahara then had a 3.63 ERA in 5 appearances in the minors in 2015, and he improved to 9-4 with a 2.52 ERA in 2016. He led the Western League in strikeouts (118) and wins (tied with Hiroki Yamada and Takumi Akiyama), and he was 3rd in ERA (between Akiyama and Kouki Moriya). Kasahara also represented Japan in the 2016 U-23 Baseball World Cup, going 1-0 with a 4.22 ERA and 14 K in 10 2/3 IP for the champs. He beat Australia's Josh Hendrickson. He tied Ji-seob Lim and Lucas Ramón for 7th in the event in Ks.

The Fukuoka native debuted on May 24, 2017, and he was the first player in NPB history whose father and brother both pitched in NPB. Kasahara recorded a 4.32 ERA in 6 games for the top team, and he went 5-3 with a 2.49 ERA in the minors. He then had a 3-4 record with a 3.68 ERA in 33 appearances in the minors in 2018, and he only pitched one inning for the top team. Kasahara had a 5-2 record with a 3.41 ERA in 2019 in the farm league, but he didn't made it to the big club and he announced his retirement.

Sources

• Wiki Japan
• 2016 U-23 Baseball World Cup