Hiroki Kokubo

Hiroki Kokubo (小久保 裕紀, Kokubo Hiroki, born October 8, 1971) is a Japanese former professional baseball infielder, and current manager for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).^[1]

Hiroki Kokubo
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – No. 90
First baseman/Third baseman/Manager
Born: (1971-10-08) October 8, 1971 (age 52) Wakayama, Japan
Batted: Right-handed Threw: Right
NPB debut
April 9, 1994, for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
Last appearance
October, 2012, for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
NPB statistics
Batting average	.273
Hits	2,041
Home runs	413
RBI	1,304
Teams
As player Fukuoka Daiei Hawks (1994–2003) Yomiuri Giants (2004–2006) Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (2007–2012) As manager Japan national baseball team (2013–2017) As coach and manager Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (2021–present)
Career highlights and awards
3× Golden Glove Award (1995, 2010, 2011) 3× Best Nine Award (1995, 1997, 2011) 3× Monthly MVP (June 2000, July 2004, April 2007) Comeback Player of the Year Award (2004) Japan Series MVP (2011) 11× All-Star (1995–1997, 2000–2002, 2004, 2007–2009, 2011)
Medals Men's baseball Representing  Japan Olympic Games 1992 Barcelona Team

He previously played for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, the Yomiuri Giants, and had 2,000 hits.^[2]

Early baseball career

Kokubo went on to Aoyama Gakuin University, where he became captain and helped his team win its first 1993 Japan National Collegiate Baseball Championship in his senior year.^[3]

Professional career

Active player era

Kokubo was selected by the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in the second round of the 1993 Nippon Professional Baseball draft under the system for expressing a team of choice.^[4]

He debuted in the Pacific League in his rookie season of 1994, played in 78 games.

Kokubo was one of Japan's leading power hitters during the 1990s and early 2000s. He hit over 40 home runs in 2001 and 2004, but only led the league in the category once (1995), with only 28 home runs. He also led the league in RBIs in 1997.

He was suddenly given away to the Yomiuri Giants in 2003, despite being the team's cleanup hitter. Kokubo was seemingly given away for free, since the Giants did not give a player to the Hawks in exchange. The motives behind this transaction remain a mystery.^[5]

He played with the Yomiuri Giants for three years before signing with his former team (now the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) during the 2006 off-season as a free agent.^[6]

In 2011, as team captain, he helped lead the Hawks to victory in the Japan Series, winning the Most Valuable Player Award.^[7]

On June 24, 2012, Kokubo recorded his 2,000th career hit, becoming the 41st Japanese professional baseball player to reach the milestone.^[2] On August 14 he announced his intention to retire at the end of the 2012 season.^[8] His retirement ceremony was held on October 8, after the last regular-season match against the Orix Buffaloes, which SoftBank lost after being no-hit.^[9]

After retirement

After his retirement, He worked for NHK as a baseball broadcast commentator.

On December 3 2020, Kokubo became the head coach of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.^[10]

He had been the second squad manager until the 2023 season, when he was set to replace Hiroshi Fujimoto as the manager of the first team in 2024, after Fujimoto announced he was going to step down as manager.^[1]

International career

He won a bronze medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics before entering the Japanese professional leagues.^[11]

In October 2013, Kokubo was named the manager of the Japan national baseball team.^[12] He led the team to a third place finish at the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

See also

• Nippon Professional Baseball Comeback Player of the Year Award

References

1. "Nishinippon Sports baseball news 小久保裕紀2軍監督、掲げた育成強化方針は体、意志、忍耐の「強さ3カ条」". Nishinippon Shimbun (in Japanese). November 1, 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
2. "Nikkansports Sports baseball news 【ソフトＢ】小久保が2000安打達成". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). June 24, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
3. "Weekly Baseball online News & Column 小久保氏と井口監督、母校に帰る。黄金時代・青学大の思い出とは？". Weekly Baseball online (in Japanese). December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
4. "Nikkansports Sports baseball news 【ソフトバンク】過去のドラフト 第29回（1993年）". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). Retrieved December 3, 2022.
5. "full-count baseball news 球界揺るがした小久保裕紀の無償トレード…非情通告した身に残り続ける苦渋の思い". full-count.jp (in Japanese). December 24, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
6. ""Weekly Baseball online 【FA史】小久保がホークスへ出戻るなどすべて巨人がらみ/2006年" (in Japanese). Weekly Baseball online. November 18, 2018. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
7. "Nikkansports Sports baseball news ソフトＢ小久保MVP最年長40歳／日本S". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). November 21, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
8. "Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks team's news 2012/08/15(水) 選手 小久保選手、引退表明会見要旨「気持ちが固まった」 王会長、秋山監督らからのメッセージも". Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Official site (in Japanese). August 15, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
9. "Sports Nippon baseball news 小久保の"ガチで来い"に応えた　西「どう喜んでいいのか」". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). October 8, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
10. "Nishinippon Shimbun baseball news (Japanese) ソフトバンク小久保ヘッドコーチ就任を正式発表 会見で「入って負けたと思われたくない」". Nishinippon Shimbun (in Japanese). December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
11. "Jiji Press Sports medical column （第4回）野球観変えたオリンピック 学生で一人、日本代表参加". Jiji Press (in Japanese). August 14, 2018. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
12. "Japan national baseball team Official site press conference 小久保裕紀　侍ジャパン代表監督 就任記者会見". Japan national baseball team Official site (in Japanese). October 9, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2022.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hiroki Kokubo.

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)
• - Career statistics - NPB.jp (in Japanese)
• 90 Hiroki Kokubo PLAYERS2022 - Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Official site
• Hiroki Kokubo Official site (in Japanese)
• Kokubo pushes teammates to complete at highest level