Mariners Sign Japanese Infielder Munenori Kawasaki
Kawasaki signs minor league contract with an invite to Major League Spring Training.
SEATTLE, Wash. -- Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jack Zduriencik announced today the club has signed Japanese infielder Munenori Kawasaki to a minor league contract with an invite to Major League Spring Training.
“Being able to add a player with the resume that Kawasaki possesses is very good news for the Mariners,” Zduriencik said. “We are looking forward to having him compete for a Major League position in Spring Training. He is a high-energy player with a record of success in Japan.”
Kawasaki, 30, was an 8-time All-Star (2004-11) and a 2-time Golden Glove winner with Fukuoka in the Japan Pacific League. In 11 seasons in Japan he combined to bat .294 (1343x4573) with 631 runs scored, 65 triples and 262 stolen bases in 1,145 games.
Last season he batted .267 (161x603) in 144 games and helped lead the Softbank Hawks to their first Japan Series championship in eight years. He has recorded 20 or more steals in eight of the last nine seasons, including a league-leading 42 in 2004.
Kawasaki was also a two-time member of Japan’s gold medal winning World Baseball Classic squad, and was the starting shortstop for Japan in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
KAWASAKI’s PLAYING RECORD
YEAR CLUB AVG G AB R H TB 2B 3B HR RBI SH SF HB BB SO SB CS SLG OBP
2001 FUKUOKA .000 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .000 .200
2002 FUKUOKA .232 36 112 13 26 40 4 5 0 8 6 0 0 4 21 3 2 .357 .259
2003 FUKUOKA .294 133 493 78 145 186 17 9 2 51 28 2 4 41 74 30 16 .377 .352
2004 FUKUOKA .303 133 564 87 171 218 19 8 4 45 15 3 3 48 63 42 13 .387 .359
2005 FUKUOKA .271 102 399 53 108 138 12 3 4 36 22 3 8 26 52 21 10 .346 .326
2006 FUKUOKA .312 115 449 69 140 184 21 7 3 27 27 0 5 32 54 24 9 .410 .364
2007 FUKUOKA .329 95 383 57 126 164 12 7 4 43 10 1 4 29 46 23 9 .428 .381
2008 FUKUOKA .321 99 424 55 136 167 16 6 1 34 6 5 6 16 40 19 9 .394 .350
2009 FUKUOKA .259 143 540 73 140 194 26 8 4 34 43 3 7 47 90 44 16 .359 .325
2010 FUKUOKA .316 144 602 74 190 239 27 5 4 53 10 0 7 43 86 29 11 .397 .368
2011 FUKUOKA .267 144 603 71 161 197 19 7 1 37 9 4 3 36 84 27 10 .327 .310
Japan Totals .294 1145 4573 631 1343 1727 173 65 27 369 176 21 47 323 610 262 105 .378 .345
WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
YEAR CLUB AVG G AB R H TB 2B 3B HR RBI SH SF HB BB SO SB CS SLG OBP
2006 Japan .259 8 27 6 7 11 1 0 1 5 0 0 0 2 1 2 0 .407 .310
2009 Japan .429 5 7 3 3 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .429 .429
WBC Totals .294 13 34 9 10 14 1 0 1 6 0 0 0 2 1 3 0 .412 .333
For more information, please contact the Seattle Mariners baseball information department at (206) 346-4000. More information on Seattle’s roster is also available online at www.mariners.com. All Mariners news releases, game notes, statistics and multimedia files are also available by visiting the Mariners Virtual Press Box at www.MarinersMedia.com.