Switch Pitchers in Japan

Shinnosuke Yagi - Ambidextrous Pitcher from Japan

Shinnosuke Yagi is an ambidextrous pitcher and switch hitter, from Japan, who attends Merced College in California. Yagi recently signed to play for the Atwater Aviators in theGolden State Collegiate Baseball League. Read more

Rafe Milo - Ambidextrous Pitcher in Japan

Rafe Milo is a young switch hitter and ambidextrous pitcher who plays Little League baseball in Japan. Read more

Shozo Yoshinari, Ambidextrous Pitcher from Japan, 1966

In 1966, Shozo Yoshinari, a was young Japanese pitcher who could throw from either side. He worked out with the Giants' Fresno team in the California League. He pitched in the minors briefly, but never made the majors.  Read more



18 January 2009 » In npb
Kazuki Miyata
Natural lefty Kazuki Miyata was selected in the 4th round by the Seibu Lions. Miyata started throwing right handed in high school as an exercise in balance, and kept it up in junior college as it helped him alleviate back pain. He hasn’t thrown right handed in an official game, but is still working on his right handed pitching and has learned to throw a curve.

Rafael Fernandez
Yakult instructional draftee Rafael Fernandez is also a natural lefty, but throws right handed all the time. Sponichi explains that when Fernandez started playing baseball in Brazil when he was 10, he thought that the ball must be thrown with the right hand. Fernandez threw lefty in Yakult’s autumn camp when he was having some arm pain, and hit about 75 mph on the gun. 

Toyotoshi Chikada
There’s been one switch-pitcher in recent NPB memory, Toyotoshi Chikada, who made one appearance as a lefty for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks back in 1988. He retired in 1991, but in 2001 he threw both righty and lefty to a couple of Hawks farm players in an exhibition game.

source: Patrick Newman | npbtracker.com

Switch-pitchers - NPB Tracker

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Switch Pitchers in Japan

Masanori Murakami - First Japanese pitcher in the MLB

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