Norichika Aoki
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese professional baseball player. He is currently an outfielder
for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows
.
Aoki is one of only four players to amass 200 or more hits
in a single season
in Japanese professional baseball. He played in the 2006
and 2009
World Baseball Classic
s as well as the 2008 Beijing Olympics
and is widely regarded as one of the most complete position player
s in Japan today.
, and attended Hyuga Municipal
Hichiya Elementary School and Tomishima Junior High School before going on to Miyazaki Prefectural
Hyuga High School. Surprisingly, he was a pitcher
throughout junior high
and high school, converting to the outfield only upon entering Waseda University
, where he majored
in human science
s.
Aoki was surrounded by a remarkable concentration of talent at Waseda: his year included shortstop
Takashi Toritani
(currently with the Hanshin Tigers
), third baseman
Toshimitsu Higa (Hiroshima Toyo Carp
) and center fielder
Shintaro Yoshida (Orix Buffaloes
), all three of whom would later go on to the pros
. Left-handed pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada
(Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
) was one year his senior, and second baseman
Hiroyasu Tanaka
and first baseman
Shinichi Takeuchi, both of whom would later rejoin Aoki with the Swallows, were one and two years his junior, respectively.
The six hitters
, who often batted in the order of Tanaka, Aoki, Toritani, Higa, Takeuchi and Yoshida, formed one of the most potent lineups
in college baseball
history and led Waseda to four consecutive Tokyo Big6
titles for the first time in the history of the university. Aoki hit .463 in the spring of his junior year (2002) and set a Tokyo Big6 record for runs
scored in a single game with six in a game against the University of Tokyo
that season, going 5-for-5 with five RBI
and a walk
in that same game. He hit .332 during his college career, albeit without a single home run
, and was selected to the league
Best Nine three times in his eight seasons (spring and fall) with Waseda as the starting right fielder
. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2003 NPB amateur draft
by the Yakult Swallows.
season (2004), playing just 10 games at the ichigun (Japanese equivalent of "major league") level. However, he showed signs of promise in the minors
, hitting .372 and leading the Eastern League
in both batting average
and on-base percentage (.436) and coming second in stolen base
s (21). In the Fresh All-Star Game (the Japanese equivalent of the All-Star Futures Game
) held that year, Aoki went 4-for-5, coming a home run short of the cycle
and winning Most Valuable Player
honors for the game.
. While he struggled in the opening weeks of the season as the Swallows' No. 2 hitter, striking out
uncharacteristically often, he slowly began to collect hits at his usual pace and was promoted to the leadoff
role by June. On October 6, he tied the Central League single-season hit record of 192 (set by Robert Rose in 1999), following up the feat by becoming only the second player in NPB history after Ichiro Suzuki
to record 200 hits in a single season on October 11. While Aoki missed Suzuki's NPB record for hits in a single season of 210, he finished with a league-record 202 hits (his 169 singles
were an NPB single-season record). He led all Central League players in batting average (.344) and hits and was voted the league Most Valuable Rookie
.
in 2006. He was made his second All-Star
appearance in July and was named the Most Valuable Player in Game 1 (held at his home park, Meiji Jingu Stadium
), becoming the fourth player in NPB history to win both Fresh All-Star Game and All-Star Game MVP honors.
Though he came up short in his goal of reaching 200 base hits and winning the batting title for the second consecutive year, Aoki finished the season with 192 hits, leading both the Central and Pacific
leagues. He cut down on his strikeouts and drew more walks than in the previous season, improving his on-base percentage from .387 to .396 despite a lower batting average. He also hit more home runs (13) and drove in
more runs (62), leading the league in both average with runners in scoring position
(.399) and stolen bases (41) for the first time (and putting an end to Tiger center fielder Norihiro Akahoshi's
five-year streak of leading the Central League in that category).
On December 25, Aoki publicly stated his intent to eventually play in the major leagues
via the posting system
, saying, "...I would like to move to the majors after some years. It might be difficult to do so as a free agent
since I'll be over 30 by then." While major league teams have expressed interest in Aoki (especially after seeing him in international play), the Swallows have offered no indication of their willingness to comply with the request as of mid-2009.
competed for the batting title at a torrid pace throughout the 2007 season. On July 10, Aoki became the fastest player in Japanese professional baseball history to amass 500 career hits, doing so in 373 games. While he fell short of 200 base hits, partly due to the 80 walks (fourth in the league) that opposing pitchers issued to him, he finished second in the league in hits (to Ramírez, who hit safely 204 times, a new Central League record) with 193, winning his second batting title with a .346 average. Aoki also led the league in on-base percentage for the first time and scored 114 runs (his third consecutive season with 100 or more runs).
Meanwhile, his stolen base total dropped sharply from 41 to 17, a decline that could be attributed to then-player-manager Atsuya Furuta's
placing Hiroyasu Tanaka (rather than Adam Riggs
, as was the case in 2006), a second baseman with little power, behind Aoki in the 2-hole and instructing him to bunt often. On the other hand, Aoki began to show legitimate power, hitting 20 home runs and slugged over .500 for the first time. He was slotted into both the 2- and 3-hole numerous times and even hit cleanup
in Furuta's retirement game as a player on October 7.
Aoki played in the Asian Baseball Championship
as a member of the Japanese national team that December, helping Japan clinch a berth in the upcoming Beijing Olympics
.
strain
. It was his first time missing playing time due to injury since his debut at the ichigun level. However, he returned some three weeks later on May 29, engaging in another race for the batting title, this time with Yokohama BayStars
left fielder
Seiichi Uchikawa
.
Aoki was chosen to play in the 2008 Beijing Olympics along with teammate Shinya Miyamoto
as a member of the Japanese national team in August. After he returned to the Swallows, manager
Shigeru Takada
opted to use him in the 3-hole permanently, slotting newly acquired left fielder
Toshiki Fukuchi into the leadoff role instead. While Aoki relinquished the league lead in both batting average and on-base percentage to Uchikawa, he finished the season with a personal-best batting average of .347, striking out just 47 times (fewest in the league among qualifying players) and swiping 31 bases (second to Fukuchi on the Swallows).
in the head by a pitch
thrown by Chunichi Dragons
closer
Hitoki Iwase
on April 30, but was found to have no serious injuries upon diagnosis.
, but went 0-for-4 in those two games and finished with just one hit in five at-bats
in the tournament. Nevertheless, Japan defeated Cuba 10-6 in the finals to become the inaugural tournament champions.
(which also functioned as the Asian qualifying tournament for the Beijing Olympics) as a member of the Japanese national team. Though he was 0-for-9 with one sacrifice bunt in the first two games against the Philippines
and South Korea as Japan's No. 3 hitter, he went 3-for-4 with a double
and a walk in a 10-2 mercy rule
win in the final game against Taiwan
, helping Japan clinch a berth in the upcoming Olympics.
, Japan went on to lose 8-4 in a disappointing fourth-place finish behind South Korea, Cuba and the United States.
for his ability to spray the ball to all fields and utilize his speed on the bases to stretch singles into doubles and doubles into triples
. Slotted into the 2-hole in front of current Tigers shortstop Takashi Toritani, Aoki became adept at hitting infield singles
to the left side of the infield to get on base during his years at Waseda University. He carried that same approach into the pros, going the opposite way for infield hits and singles to left field so often that teams began employing an "Aoki Shift", with the third baseman playing shallow and the shortstop shading the 5-6 hole, until 2006.
Aoki has developed more power with each successive season and has now established himself as a legitimate middle-of-the-order threat that can pull the ball
as well as hit for a high average (.333 career batting average as of May 13, 2009). He is known to be slightly unusual in that he has several different batting stances in his repertoire. While most players shape their mechanics to perfection, Aoki does not hesitate to switch from one stance to another when he runs into hitless stretches (though he holds his bat
much more upright than he did earlier in his career). He has attested to the importance of lower body movement to his hitting in interview
s.
s in 2006 and 2007. His throwing arm is fringe-average for a major league center fielder but accurate, and he has a quick release.
Bold indicates league leader; statistics current as of March 24, 2011
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows
Tokyo Yakult Swallows
is a professional baseball team in Japan's Central League.The Swallows are named after their corporate owners, the Yakult Corporation. From 1950 to 1965, the team was owned by the former Japanese National Railways and called the Kokutetsu Swallows; the team was then owned by the newspaper Sankei...
.
Aoki is one of only four players to amass 200 or more hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
in a single season
Season (sports)
In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...
in Japanese professional baseball. He played in the 2006
2006 World Baseball Classic
---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:...
and 2009
2009 World Baseball Classic
The 2009 World Baseball Classic was an international baseball competition. It is the only international baseball tournament to feature a large number of players from the major leagues of North America and Asia. It began on March 5, 2009, and finished March 23, 2009.Japan emerged victorious for the...
World Baseball Classic
World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation and created by Major League Baseball , the Major League Baseball Players Association , and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world...
s as well as the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing was held from August 13 to August 23. All games were played at Wukesong Baseball Field, a temporary venue constructed at the Beijing Wukesong Culture & Sports Center...
and is widely regarded as one of the most complete position player
Position player
In baseball, a position player is a player who on defense plays as an infielder, outfielder, or catcher. This is generally all players on a team except for the pitcher, who is considered separate from the position players; in the American League, there is also a designated hitter, who bats but...
s in Japan today.
Early life and amateur career
Aoki was born in Hyūga, MiyazakiHyuga, Miyazaki
is a city located in Miyazaki, Japan.The city was founded on April 1, 1951.On February 25, 2006 the town of Tōgō, from Higashiusuki District, was merged into Hyūga....
, and attended Hyuga Municipal
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
Hichiya Elementary School and Tomishima Junior High School before going on to Miyazaki Prefectural
Miyazaki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Miyazaki.- History :Historically, after the Meiji Restoration, Hyūga Province was renamed Miyazaki Prefecture....
Hyuga High School. Surprisingly, he was a pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
throughout junior high
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
and high school, converting to the outfield only upon entering Waseda University
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
, where he majored
Academic major
In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....
in human science
Human Science
Human science refers to the investigation of human life and activities via a phenomenological methodology that acknowledges the validity of both sensory and psychological experience...
s.
Aoki was surrounded by a remarkable concentration of talent at Waseda: his year included shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
Takashi Toritani
Takashi Toritani
is a Japanese shortstop with the Hanshin Tigers.Toritani was one of the most highly coveted position players in years as a senior for Waseda University in 2003...
(currently with the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
), third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
Toshimitsu Higa (Hiroshima Toyo Carp
Hiroshima Toyo Carp
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Central League. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda. Mazda is the largest single shareholder , which is less than the portion owned by the Matsuda family . Because of that,...
) and center fielder
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
Shintaro Yoshida (Orix Buffaloes
Orix Buffaloes
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka and Kobe, Japan. They play in the Pacific League. The team is owned by the Orix Group, a leading diversified financial services company based in Tokyo....
), all three of whom would later go on to the pros
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
. Left-handed pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada
Tsuyoshi Wada
is a left-handed starting pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.Wada pitched in the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as the 2006 World Baseball Classic for the Japanese national team...
(Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
) was one year his senior, and second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
Hiroyasu Tanaka
Hiroyasu Tanaka
Hiroyasu Tanaka is a Japanese professional baseballer for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. He was the number 1 draft pick for the Swallows in . In he was leader in triples for the Central League.-References:...
and first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
Shinichi Takeuchi, both of whom would later rejoin Aoki with the Swallows, were one and two years his junior, respectively.
The six hitters
Batting (baseball)
In baseball, batting is the act of facing the opposing pitcher and trying to produce offense for one's team. A batter or hitter is a person whose turn it is to face the pitcher...
, who often batted in the order of Tanaka, Aoki, Toritani, Higa, Takeuchi and Yoshida, formed one of the most potent lineups
Batting order (baseball)
The batting order, or batting lineup, in baseball is the sequence in which the nine members of the offense take their turns in batting against the pitcher. The batting order is the main component of a team's offensive strategy. The batting order is set by the manager before the game begins...
in college baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
history and led Waseda to four consecutive Tokyo Big6
Tokyo Big6 Baseball League
Tokyo Big6 Baseball League is an intercollegiate baseball league that features six prominent universities in the Tokyo area...
titles for the first time in the history of the university. Aoki hit .463 in the spring of his junior year (2002) and set a Tokyo Big6 record for runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
scored in a single game with six in a game against the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
that season, going 5-for-5 with five RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
and a walk
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
in that same game. He hit .332 during his college career, albeit without a single home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
, and was selected to the league
Sports league
League is a term commonly used to describe a group of sports teams or individual athletes that compete against each other in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur athletes who form teams among themselves and compete on weekends; at its most complex, it can be an...
Best Nine three times in his eight seasons (spring and fall) with Waseda as the starting right fielder
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2003 NPB amateur draft
Draft (sports)
A draft is a process used in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Russia and the Philippines to allocate certain players to sports teams. In a draft, teams take turns selecting from a pool of eligible players...
by the Yakult Swallows.
2004
Aoki saw little playing time in his rookieRookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
season (2004), playing just 10 games at the ichigun (Japanese equivalent of "major league") level. However, he showed signs of promise in the minors
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
, hitting .372 and leading the Eastern League
Eastern League (Japanese baseball)
The is one of the two minor leagues of Japanese professional baseball. The league is owned and managed by the Central League.-History:The league was created in 1955, and contained the minor league teams of the seven professional teams that had their homefields in the Eastern region of Japan...
in both batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
and on-base percentage (.436) and coming second in stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s (21). In the Fresh All-Star Game (the Japanese equivalent of the All-Star Futures Game
All-Star Futures Game
The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game between a team of top minor league prospects from the United States and a team of prospects from other parts of the World...
) held that year, Aoki went 4-for-5, coming a home run short of the cycle
Hitting for the cycle
In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are uncommon in Major League Baseball , occurring 293 times since the first by Curry...
and winning Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
honors for the game.
2005
Aoki enjoyed a breakout year in 2005, earning the job of starting center fielder with the departure of Atsunori InabaAtsunori Inaba
Atsunori Inaba is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He was the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 Japan Series....
. While he struggled in the opening weeks of the season as the Swallows' No. 2 hitter, striking out
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
uncharacteristically often, he slowly began to collect hits at his usual pace and was promoted to the leadoff
Leadoff hitter
In baseball, a leadoff hitter is a batter who bats first in the lineup. It can also refer to any batter who bats first in an inning.- Strategy :...
role by June. On October 6, he tied the Central League single-season hit record of 192 (set by Robert Rose in 1999), following up the feat by becoming only the second player in NPB history after Ichiro Suzuki
Ichiro Suzuki
, usually known simply as is a Major League Baseball right fielder for the Seattle Mariners. Ichiro has established a number of batting records, including the sport's single-season record for hits with 262...
to record 200 hits in a single season on October 11. While Aoki missed Suzuki's NPB record for hits in a single season of 210, he finished with a league-record 202 hits (his 169 singles
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
were an NPB single-season record). He led all Central League players in batting average (.344) and hits and was voted the league Most Valuable Rookie
Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award
The Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award is given to one player in each league of Central League and Pacific League.-Central League:-Pacific League:-See also:*Nippon Professional Baseball#Awards*Baseball awards#Japan...
.
2006
Aoki was chosen to play in the inaugural World Baseball Classic as a member of the Japanese national teamJapan national baseball team
The Japan national baseball team is the national baseball team representing Japan in international competitions. They are one of the more successful baseball teams in the world, having won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009...
in 2006. He was made his second All-Star
Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Game
The Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Game is an annual baseball game between players from the Central League and the Pacific League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
appearance in July and was named the Most Valuable Player in Game 1 (held at his home park, Meiji Jingu Stadium
Meiji Jingu Stadium
is a baseball stadium in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. It opened in 1926 and holds 37,933 spectators. Property of the Meiji Shrine, it is the home field of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows professional baseball team...
), becoming the fourth player in NPB history to win both Fresh All-Star Game and All-Star Game MVP honors.
Though he came up short in his goal of reaching 200 base hits and winning the batting title for the second consecutive year, Aoki finished the season with 192 hits, leading both the Central and Pacific
Pacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...
leagues. He cut down on his strikeouts and drew more walks than in the previous season, improving his on-base percentage from .387 to .396 despite a lower batting average. He also hit more home runs (13) and drove in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
more runs (62), leading the league in both average with runners in scoring position
Scoring position
In the sport of baseball, a baserunner is said to be in scoring position when he is on second or third base. The distinction between being on first base and second or third base is that a runner on first can usually only score if the batter hits an extra base hit, while a runner on second or third...
(.399) and stolen bases (41) for the first time (and putting an end to Tiger center fielder Norihiro Akahoshi's
Norihiro Akahoshi
is a retired Nippon Professional Baseball player from Kariya, Aichi, Japan. He played as an outfielder for the Hanshin Tigers.Akahoshi announced his retirement on December 9, 2009. During the 2009 season, he was first deactivated in early July after sustaining a neck injury...
five-year streak of leading the Central League in that category).
On December 25, Aoki publicly stated his intent to eventually play in the major leagues
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
via the posting system
Posting system
The is a baseball player transfer system that operates between Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball and the United States' Major League Baseball . Despite the drafting of the United States – Japanese Player Contract Agreement in 1967 designed to regulate NPB players moving to MLB, problems...
, saying, "...I would like to move to the majors after some years. It might be difficult to do so as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
since I'll be over 30 by then." While major league teams have expressed interest in Aoki (especially after seeing him in international play), the Swallows have offered no indication of their willingness to comply with the request as of mid-2009.
2007
Aoki and teammate and fellow outfielder Alex RamírezAlex Ramírez
Alexander Ramón Ramírez is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who currently plays for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball. He played in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians and Pittsburgh Pirates...
competed for the batting title at a torrid pace throughout the 2007 season. On July 10, Aoki became the fastest player in Japanese professional baseball history to amass 500 career hits, doing so in 373 games. While he fell short of 200 base hits, partly due to the 80 walks (fourth in the league) that opposing pitchers issued to him, he finished second in the league in hits (to Ramírez, who hit safely 204 times, a new Central League record) with 193, winning his second batting title with a .346 average. Aoki also led the league in on-base percentage for the first time and scored 114 runs (his third consecutive season with 100 or more runs).
Meanwhile, his stolen base total dropped sharply from 41 to 17, a decline that could be attributed to then-player-manager Atsuya Furuta's
Atsuya Furuta
Atsuya Furuta is a Japanese former baseball player and player-manager for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows professional baseball club in the Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League...
placing Hiroyasu Tanaka (rather than Adam Riggs
Adam Riggs
Adam David Riggs is a former professional baseball first baseman. He played parts of four years in Major League Baseball, but is better known for the four seasons he spent with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of the Japanese Central League.He is an alumnus of the University of South Carolina Aiken and...
, as was the case in 2006), a second baseman with little power, behind Aoki in the 2-hole and instructing him to bunt often. On the other hand, Aoki began to show legitimate power, hitting 20 home runs and slugged over .500 for the first time. He was slotted into both the 2- and 3-hole numerous times and even hit cleanup
Cleanup hitter
In baseball, the cleanup hitter is the hitter who bats fourth in the lineup. Although the third man up is generally the hitter with the highest batting average, cleanup hitters often have the most power on the team and are typically the team's best power hitter; their job is to "clean up the...
in Furuta's retirement game as a player on October 7.
Aoki played in the Asian Baseball Championship
Asian Baseball Championship
The Asian Baseball Championship is the main championship tournament between national baseball teams in Asia, governed by the Baseball Federation of Asia . It is held every other year in odd-numbered years and since 1983 it also functions as the qualification games for the Baseball at the Summer...
as a member of the Japanese national team that December, helping Japan clinch a berth in the upcoming Beijing Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
.
2008
On May 5, 2008, Aoki was scratched from the lineup and sent down to the minors due to an obliqueAbdominal internal oblique muscle
The internal oblique muscle is the intermediate muscle of the abdomen, lying just underneath the external oblique and just above the transverse abdominal muscle.-Structure:...
strain
Strain (injury)
A strain is an injury to a muscle or tendon in which the muscle fibres tear as a result of overstretching. A strain is also colloquially known as a pulled muscle...
. It was his first time missing playing time due to injury since his debut at the ichigun level. However, he returned some three weeks later on May 29, engaging in another race for the batting title, this time with Yokohama BayStars
Yokohama BayStars
The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Home field is the Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The clubhouse is located near the stadium....
left fielder
Left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
Seiichi Uchikawa
Seiichi Uchikawa
Seiichi Uchikawa is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He rose to prominence in 2008 with a league-leading .378 batting average...
.
Aoki was chosen to play in the 2008 Beijing Olympics along with teammate Shinya Miyamoto
Shinya Miyamoto
is a professional baseball player from Suita, Osaka, Japan. He plays shortstop for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.He was chosen as the captain of the Japanese olympic baseball team for the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, and won a bronze medal in 2004. He was also part of the 2006 World Baseball Classic...
as a member of the Japanese national team in August. After he returned to the Swallows, manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
Shigeru Takada
Shigeru Takada
Shigeru Takada is the former manager of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows baseball team in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He stepped down on May 26, 2010. Before assuming this role, he was a player for the Yomiuri Giants from to .-External links:...
opted to use him in the 3-hole permanently, slotting newly acquired left fielder
Left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
Toshiki Fukuchi into the leadoff role instead. While Aoki relinquished the league lead in both batting average and on-base percentage to Uchikawa, he finished the season with a personal-best batting average of .347, striking out just 47 times (fewest in the league among qualifying players) and swiping 31 bases (second to Fukuchi on the Swallows).
2009
Though he hit well in the second World Baseball Classic, Aoki struggled in the opening weeks of the 2009 season, hitting just .233 with a .316 on-base percentage in the month of April. He got hitHit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.-Official rule:...
in the head by a pitch
Pitch (baseball)
In baseball, a pitch is the act of throwing a baseball toward home plate to start a play. The term comes from the Knickerbocker Rules. Originally, the ball had to be literally "pitched" underhand, as with pitching horseshoes. Overhand throwing was not allowed until 1884.The biomechanics of...
thrown by Chunichi Dragons
Chunichi Dragons
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu region of Japan. The team is in the Central League. They won the 2007 Japan Series and 2007 Asia Series.-History:...
closer
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...
Hitoki Iwase
Hitoki Iwase
Hitoki Iwase is a Japanese professional baseball player from Nishio, Aichi, Japan. He is a closing pitcher....
on April 30, but was found to have no serious injuries upon diagnosis.
2006 World Baseball Classic
Aoki was named to the Japanese national team for the first time in early 2006 for the inaugural World Baseball Classic. After being relegated to the bench and seeing little playing time in the first two rounds, he was named the starting center fielder in the semi-finals against South Korea and finals against CubaCuba national baseball team
The Cuba national baseball team is the national team of Cuba. The team is made up of amateur players from the Cuban national baseball system, as there are no professional sports leagues in Cuba...
, but went 0-for-4 in those two games and finished with just one hit in five at-bats
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
in the tournament. Nevertheless, Japan defeated Cuba 10-6 in the finals to become the inaugural tournament champions.
2007 Asian Baseball Championship
Aoki played in the 2007 Asian Baseball Championship2007 Asian Baseball Championship
The 24th Asian Baseball Championship was contested in Taichung, Taiwan in November and December 2007. The tournament is sanctioned by the Asian Baseball Federation. The winner of the tournament will gain automatic entry into the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing...
(which also functioned as the Asian qualifying tournament for the Beijing Olympics) as a member of the Japanese national team. Though he was 0-for-9 with one sacrifice bunt in the first two games against the Philippines
Philippines national baseball team
The national baseball team of the Philippines represents the country and competes in international matches and tournaments. It is organized by the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association....
and South Korea as Japan's No. 3 hitter, he went 3-for-4 with a double
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
and a walk in a 10-2 mercy rule
Mercy rule
A mercy rule, also well known by the slightly less polite term slaughter rule , brings a sports event to an early end when one team has a very large and presumably insurmountable lead over the other team...
win in the final game against Taiwan
Chinese Taipei baseball team
The Chinese Taipei baseball team , is the national team of the Republic of China . It is governed by the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association. They are generally recognized as one of the elite national baseball teams. They are currently the fifth ranked baseball team in the world, just behind South...
, helping Japan clinch a berth in the upcoming Olympics.
2008 Beijing Olympics
Aoki played in all nine games in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as Japan's starting center fielder, batting in each of the first three spots in the order and hitting .294 (10-for-34) with seven RBI and scoring five runs. Japan dropped the semi-finals against South Korea, though, and despite a go-ahead three-run home run by Aoki in the third inning of the bronze medal match against the United StatesUnited States national baseball team
The United States National Baseball team represents the United States in international baseball competition. The United States has won the previous two Baseball World Cups, having lost this title to the Netherlands in 2011, and is currently second in the IBAF World Rankings, behind Cuba.The team...
, Japan went on to lose 8-4 in a disappointing fourth-place finish behind South Korea, Cuba and the United States.
2009 World Baseball Classic
Aoki played in the World Baseball Classic for the second time in 2009, having no difficulty playing left field despite manning center field almost exclusively for the Swallows. He played in all nine games, hitting .324 (12-for-37) with seven RBI as Japan's No. 3 hitter, and had a pivotal role in Japan's repeat as tournament champions. Aoki was one of three outfielders named to the All-Tournament team.Hitting
Listed at 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) and 80 kg (176.4 lb), Aoki is described as a protoypical contact hitterContact hitter
In baseball, the term contact hitter is used to describe a hitter who does not strike out often. Thus, they are usually able to use their bats to make contact with the ball and put it in play...
for his ability to spray the ball to all fields and utilize his speed on the bases to stretch singles into doubles and doubles into triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
. Slotted into the 2-hole in front of current Tigers shortstop Takashi Toritani, Aoki became adept at hitting infield singles
Infield hit
An infield hit is an outcome in baseball in which the batted ball stays in the infield but neither the batter nor any of the runners are put out. If the batter and the runners reach safely due to an error, it is not considered an infield hit. Runners normally only advance one base in an infield...
to the left side of the infield to get on base during his years at Waseda University. He carried that same approach into the pros, going the opposite way for infield hits and singles to left field so often that teams began employing an "Aoki Shift", with the third baseman playing shallow and the shortstop shading the 5-6 hole, until 2006.
Aoki has developed more power with each successive season and has now established himself as a legitimate middle-of-the-order threat that can pull the ball
Pull hitter
In baseball, a pull hitter is a batter who usually hits the ball to the side of the field from which he bats. For example, a right-handed pull hitter, who bats from the third-base side of the plate, will usually hit the ball to the third-base side of the field, termed "left field" according to the...
as well as hit for a high average (.333 career batting average as of May 13, 2009). He is known to be slightly unusual in that he has several different batting stances in his repertoire. While most players shape their mechanics to perfection, Aoki does not hesitate to switch from one stance to another when he runs into hitless stretches (though he holds his bat
Baseball bat
A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal club used in the game of baseball to hit the ball after the ball is thrown by the pitcher. It is no more than 2.75 inches in diameter at the thickest part and no more than 42 inches in length. It typically weighs no more than 33 ounces , but it...
much more upright than he did earlier in his career). He has attested to the importance of lower body movement to his hitting in interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
s.
Fielding
On the defensive end, Aoki has earned a reputation as a superb center fielder with excellent instincts and range, winning three consecutive Golden Glove awards from 2006 to 2008 and leading all outfielders in the Central League putoutPutout
In baseball statistics, a putout is given to a defensive player who records an out by one of the following methods:* Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base...
s in 2006 and 2007. His throwing arm is fringe-average for a major league center fielder but accurate, and he has a quick release.
Career statistics
| Nippon Professional Baseball | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Team | G Games played Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,... |
AB At bat In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance... |
R Run (baseball) In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured... |
H Hit (baseball) In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice.... |
2B Double (baseball) In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... |
3B Triple (baseball) In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... |
HR Home run In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process... |
TB Total bases In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total.... |
RBI Run batted in Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI... |
SB Stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate... |
AVG Batting average Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :... |
OBP | SLG | OPS On-base plus slugging On-base plus slugging is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player to both get on base and to hit for power, two important hitting skills, are represented. An OPS of .900 or higher in Major League... |
| 22 | Yakult Tokyo Yakult Swallows is a professional baseball team in Japan's Central League.The Swallows are named after their corporate owners, the Yakult Corporation. From 1950 to 1965, the team was owned by the former Japanese National Railways and called the Kokutetsu Swallows; the team was then owned by the newspaper Sankei... |
10 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .200 | .250 | .200 | .450 | |
| 23 | 144 | 588 | 100 | 202 | 26 | 4 | 3 | 245 | 28 | 29 | .344 | .387 | .417 | .803 | ||
| 24 | 146 | 599 | 112 | 192 | 26 | 3 | 13 | 263 | 62 | 41 | .321 | .383 | .411 | .795 | ||
| 25 | 143 | 557 | 114 | 193 | 26 | 2 | 20 | 283 | 58 | 17 | .346 | .434 | .508 | .942 | ||
| 26 | 112 | 444 | 85 | 154 | 29 | 5 | 14 | 235 | 64 | 31 | .347 | .413 | .529 | .942 | ||
| 27 | 142 | 531 | 87 | 161 | 23 | 2 | 16 | 236 | 66 | 18 | .303 | .400 | .444 | .844 | ||
| 28 | NA | 583 | 92 | 209 | 44 | 1 | 14 | 297 | 63 | 19 | .358 | .435 | .509 | .944 | ||
| Career | 697 | 3704 | 591 | 1114 | 130 | 16 | 80 | 1265 | 341 | 156 | .336 | .411 | .472 | .882 | ||
Bold indicates league leader; statistics current as of March 24, 2011