Former Tiger Imports: Justin Bour

Name (Japanese): ジャスティン・ボーア

Date of Birth: May 28, 1988

Hometown: Washington, DC

Family Status: Married, one son

Position: First Base

Height: 193 cm (6’4″)

Weight: 122 kg (268 lbs)

Threw/Batted: Right/Left

Wore #: 41

Originally Drafted by: Chicago Cubs, 2009 (Round 25)

Signed With Tigers on: December 14, 2019

Top Squad Debut on: June 19, 2020 @ Giants (0-4)

Left the Tigers on: December 2, 2020

Walk-Up Song: Deep Chills – Waikiki

Cheer Song:

Social Media: Twitter / Instagram

NPB Career Stats:

Brief Biography

Justin James Bour was born in Washington, DC. He attended high school and university in Virginia, where he established himself as a prospect. His numbers in university included 46 home runs, 187 RBIs, a batting average of .347 and a slugging percentage of .621. He even apparently hit two grand slams in a single game. The Chicago Cubs selected Bour in the 25th round of the 2009 Amateur Draft. Despite moving up the ranks quite smoothly and excelling at Double-A ball, he was blocked at first base by Anthony Rizzo, and was taken by the Miami Marlins in 2013 through the Rule 5 Draft.

Bour’s time with the Marlins was quite successful. Aside from the 2016 season, which saw him hit the 60-day DL due to a rolled ankle, he hit 19 or more home runs in each full season he played with the team. He was traded to the Phillies in August 2018, at which point he already had 19 home runs, but was used sparingly in his time there. He was left unprotected by the team that offseason, and spent the 2019 season with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Between Albert Pujols playing first and Shohei Ohtani DHing, Bour saw little action, and elected to become a free agent at season’s end.

The Hanshin Tigers picked him up late in the year, having had Bour on their radar since his time with the Marlins. Bour, who had spent part of an offseason in Japan training with then-teammate Ichiro (Suzuki), plus had the experience of playing with Ohtani, had an interest in Japan and was eager to succeed with the Tigers. He arrived in January to much hype, which was fueled by the media comparing him to legendary hitter Randy Bass. He also mentioned that he was studying Japanese on his own and really enjoyed convenience store rice balls (onigiri).

However, worries began to mount as he did not record a single home run through the exhibition schedule. When the season was delayed and practice games were played in early June, though, he started ablaze with home runs in three straight games. Despite getting some hits the rest of the way, he did not put any more balls out of the park. The season started on a cold note for Bour, who went 0-16 in his first four games and was dropped out of the cleanup spot. He recorded his first stolen base before he got his first home run, which came at Nagoya Dome on July 1 in the 11th game of the year. July proved to be a good month for Bour, who hit .296 with 7 home runs and 18 RBIs (.984 OPS). However, other teams’ pitchers figured him out and a prolonged slump lasted for the first 20 days of August. One week of hot hitting (5 home runs) was then followed by three more weeks of no long balls. Bour’s performance steadied after that, but when long-injured Jefry Marte was eligible and healthy enough to return to the top squad on October 22, the team swapped out infielders. Bour spent the remainder of the season on the farm, and the team announced his release on November 20.

Related Articles:

Bour Talks Homers and Hamakaze With Hirosawa (March 2, 2020)

Suarez, Bour, Sands Press Conferences (January 27, 2020)

Daily Sports Interviews Bour (December 26, 2019)

Bour Deal Made Official (December 14, 2019)