Hiroaki Matsuda

Hiroaki Matsuda
松田 亘哲
Chunichi Dragons – No. 207
Pitcher
Born: (1997-05-16) May 16, 1997 (age 27)
Iwakura, Aichi, Japan
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Teams

Hiroaki Matsuda (松田亘哲, Matsuda Hiroaki, born May 16, 1997) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays pitcher for the Chunichi Dragons.

Early life

As a student of Aichi Prefectural Konan High School, as he was only 150cm tall he gave up playing baseball to play as a libero for the school's volleyball team.[1] However, while at high school, Matsuda grew to 175cm and he looked to return to baseball at university. [1]

In 2016, Matsuda passed the exam to enter the Economics Department of Nagoya University where he joined the baseball club.[1]

On 17 October 2019, Matsuda was selected as the 1st draft pick in the development player round for the Chunichi Dragons at the 2019 NPB Draft[2] and on 11 November signed a development player contract with a ¥2,000,000 moving allowance and a ¥3,000,000 yearly salary.[3]

Pitching style

Matsuda's fastball tops out at 148 km/h which he pairs with a cutter, slider, curveball, change-up and two-seam fastball.[4]

Personal

At University, his black rimmed glasses were his trademark but as he was selected by the Dragons, he upgraded to blue frames.[3] He has said he aspires to be like Masahiro Yamamoto. [3]

References

  1. ^ a b c "大学野球 - 左で最速148kmの名大･松田亘哲、高校はバレー部だった男がプロを目指す" [University baseball: 148km Nagoya Uni southpaw Hiroaki Matsuda, who played volleyball in high school, looks to turn pro!]. 4 Years: University Sports (Asahi Shimbun) (in Japanese). 2019-07-11. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  2. ^ "高校時代バレー部の男が…なぜ名古屋大初のプロ野球選手になれたのか 中日育成１位・松田亘哲の４年間 (中日スポーツ)" [The man that played volleyball in high school; how did he get picked as Nagoya U's first ever pro? Chunichi's dev draft 1st pick, Hiroaki Matsuda's 4 years]. Chunichi Sports (in Japanese). 2020-11-05. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  3. ^ a b c "中日育成1位・松田、黒縁メガネを"竜仕様"に「プロでもこだわりたい」". Sponichi (in Japanese). 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  4. ^ "【ドラフト】中日育成1位 松田亘哲(名古屋大) 異色の経歴を持つ最速148キロ左腕／プロ野球ドラフト会議" [[Draft] Chunichi Development #1 pick Hiroaki Matsuda (Nagoya U.); A 148km/h soutpaw with a colourful background/NPB Draft Meeting]. Baseball Online (in Japanese). 2019-10-17. Retrieved 2020-02-21.