Yuji Onizaki

Yuji Onizaki (鬼﨑 裕司)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 165 lb.

• School Kanto Gakuin University
• High School Saga Technical High School

• Born April 7, 1983 in Saga, Saga Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Yuji Onizaki played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 9 years. His brother Tomoka Onizaki played for the Japan national baseball team.

Onizaki was drafted by the Yakult Swallows in the 3rd round of the 2007 NPB draft, and he went 0-for-4 in 2008. He also hit .185/.303/.351 in the minors, and he had a .256/.348/.308 batting line for the Waikiki Beach Boys in the winter. Onizaki then went 16-for-45 in 2009, but he struggled in 2010 as his batting line was .195/.239/.264. He was hitless in 9 at-bats in 2011, and the Swallows traded him to the Seibu Lions for Chikara Onodera. Onizaki was 2-for-17 in 2012, and he became Seibu's starting shortstop in July, 2013. He played 105 games with a .266/.302/.336 batting line, but he suffered from right foot injury so he only played 37 games with a .224/.290/.282 batting line. Onizaki slumped to .196/.263/.243 in 2015, and he recorded a .253/.314/.332 batting line in 79 games in 2016. Since rookie Sosuke Genda shined in 2017, Onizaki was placed in the minors for the entire season and he announced his retirement. He was the minor league fielding coach for the Lions from 2018 to 2023.

Overall, Onizaki hit .238/.291/.312 with 195 hits and 6 homers in 9 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan