2012 Draft

Here is a look back at the Hanshin Tigers’ 2012 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 – #19 Shintaro Fujinami (RHP)

First, let’s lay down some groundwork. Fujinami was a highly-touted prospect out of Osaka Toin High School, and was the first selection of five clubs. This was one of the few times Hanshin won the lottery draw, and a star was born. Fujinami won 10+ games in each of his first three seasons, and looked to be the anchor of the pitching staff for the next decade or more. He maxed out in 2015 with 14 wins and 221 strikeouts. At age 21. Then came 2016, a season which wasn’t totally going his way, but seemed to take a huge turn for the worse when he was forced to pitch 8 innings to teach him a lesson about the responsibilities of an ace. His numbers headed slightly south that year, but it was just the start of things to come. He beaned a batter in the head in his first start of 2017, and with that, his control and confidence left town. He has not been the same since then, and in 2019, he managed just one top squad start. He’s still fairly young, but if he doesn’t turn things around in 2020, the baseball world will never hear the end of his ruined career.

Round 2 – #2 Fumiya Hojoh (IF)

Hojoh was another highly-touted prospect out of high school, and a local Osaka boy to boot. It took him three seasons on the farm (with one brief call-up in 2015) before he found himself in 2016. In fact, his excellent play at short was the reason that Takashi Toritani’s consecutive innings streak ended. However, Hojoh has also struggled with consistency and has not gotten a permanent job at short or third. Still, his work ethic, attitude and penchant for hitting well in the clutch have kept him on the top squad for most of the past two seasons.

Round 3 – #41/116/97 Kojiro Tanabo (RHP)

Tanabo came out of industrial league baseball and was said to have electric stuff. However, he only got one call-up in 2016 (and that after two years of developmental player status), in which he got four mounds. He found himself on the chopping block after the 2017 season, never having made an impact on the team.

Round 4 – #52 Shinya Azuhata (C)

Also chosen out of industrial league baseball, Azuhata was never known for his power, and never showed any, either. With nary a homer on the farm and not a single call up to the top squad in his career, he was released at the end of the 2018 season and is now a bullpen catcher for the team.

Round 5 – #48 Kazuyuki Kaneda (RHP)

Kaneda’s best year came in 2014, when he finished with five wins, including a one-pitch victory when he induced a double play in the top of the ninth against the Dragons, then the team walked it off in the bottom of the inning. He fell out of favor with manager Tomoaki Kanemoto early in 2016, and at season’s end, was left unprotected when the team signed free agent Yoshio Itoi. He is now a member of the Orix Buffaloes, but after a strong 2017, he has not done very much.

Round 6 – #65 Ryosuke Ogata (OF)

Injuries in college dropped him low in the draft, but after seeing him in action on the farm, then-development coordinator Masayuki Kakefu said he could see Ogata becoming a pesky leadoff hitter with good pop. He showed some promise in 2014, hitting a couple of home runs and stealing a few bases in sporadic action, but only got one more shot at playing on the top squad in 2016, when he appeared in 21 games. He did not impress enough to stay up top for long, and after two straight seasons of nothing but farm action, was released at the end of the 2018 season. He now works in the club’s PR department.

Overall Grade: C

It’s really hard to give this group a proper grade. Fujinami was good for three, mediocre for one. That’s not terrible. Hojoh has been alright but still hasn’t taken hold of any position and called it his own. Kaneda was the price we paid to get Itoi. And the rest was pretty much a big fat zero… although Ogata is doing a decent job on the ol’ Instagram!