2010 Draft

Here is a look back at the Hanshin Tigers’ 2010 NPB Draft picks. How have their careers gone? How has the draft panned out for the team? Which other stars came out of the same draft in the same round as our guys?

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Round 1 – #13 Daiki Enokida (LHP)

Already 24 years old when drafted out of the industrial leagues, Enokida made his debut in May 2011 as a reliever. He made the all-star team that year, and had two solid seasons in the bullpen (110 mounds, 2.30 ERA). After that, he tried to make the switch to starting, but it didn’t go well. He spent the rest of his years with Hanshin bouncing between top and farm squads, and was shipped off to the Saitama Seibu Lions in exchange for Yosuke Okamoto at the start of the 2018 season. He won 11 games for the PL cats that year, but struggled in 2019. Okamoto did very little with the Tigers before being released at the end of the 2019 season.

Round 2 – #36/123 Shinta Hifumi (RHP)

Pitched his high school team to the finals of the 2010 Summer Koshien tournament, but injuries and sickness stopped him from seeing any action at all in 2011. He switched to the field in 2012 and showed potential to be a power hitter, but once again, injuries slowed him. He never reached his full potential, and never made it to the top squad. He was set free after the 2016 season and was arrested the next year in Okinawa for gang rape.

Round 3 – #60 Masahiro Nakatani (C)

Drafted out of high school as a catcher, Nakatani has only ever played outfield and first base as a Tiger. He made his top squad debut in 2012, but just six games later, was farmed. He did not get another call-up until 2015, and even that was a short one. After finishing with the top average in the Western League that season, he finally started getting more playing time on the top squad from 2016 onwards, and has so far peaked in 2017 with 20 home runs and 61 RBI. Since then, his playing time and his performance have been sporadic.

Round 4 – #59 Akira Iwamoto (LHP)

Drafted out of high school, he made his top squad debut towards the end of the 2012 season, winning two straight starts. It took him three more seasons to get significant playing time on the big team, but even then it was just 13 mounds (4 starts). Upon his release at the end of the 2015 season, he played independent ball for two years. The Orix Buffaloes picked him up during the 2018 season, but he was once again released after the 2019 campaign.

Round 5 – #58 Fumiya Araki (IF)

Picked for his legs more than anything, Araki has stolen his share of bases on the farm, but even at age 31, has not seen more than 73 plate appearances on the top squad in any season. His career highlight was sharing the hero’s podium with Kosuke Fukudome on May 28, 2015, after he reached base in all six plate appearances. He also stole two of his twelve career stolen bases that night.

Development Round 1 – #122 Tetsuya Sakaguchi (IF)

After four years on the farm, he was released without ever having his triple-digit uniform replaced by a regular one.

Development Round 2 – #126/69 Hiroya Shimamoto (LHP)

After four years of training on the farm, Shimamoto became the first pitcher taken out of high school to go from a development player to regular contract status in team history. Still, he struggled mightily in his first full season (2015). Despite a relatively strong 2016, he did not pitch a single top squad game in 2017, and his 2018 was limited to just one mound. However, in 2019, all dividends finally paid off. Shimamoto pitched in 63 games and had a sparkling 1.67 ERA.

Development Round 3 – #127 Masaki Anada (IF)

In his three years on the farm, he played in a total of 73 games. He was released at the end of the 2013 season, and joined a local semi-pro team.

Overall Grade: D

One inconsistent outfielder and one development pitcher who’s had one good season aren’t enough to give this a better grade. If Nakatani finds his stroke again, it’s a C. If Shimamoto falls back to earth, it’s an F.