 Never much of an offensive threat in
his first two seasons, shortstop Shinya Miyamoto
developed into a moderately successful hitter
just before being indicted for tax evasion
shortly after the 1997 season (along with
Swallows pitcher Tetsuya Kitagawa and eight
players from other teams). Because of his legal problems,
Miyamoto was conspicuously absent from Yakult's
"Fan Appreciation Day" last November.
Though it's unlikely he'll be wearing horizontal
pinstripes in the near future (his punishment was
limited to a multi-million yen fine), it doesn't
look like he will be eligible to play on opening
day.
Fortunately for the Swallows, their
legally entangled shortstop is hardly
indispensable. Though batting .282 with a .340 on
base percentage in 1997, Miyamoto has little
power and is still a mixed bag defensively. He
can steal bases and hit well in the clutch (.337
average with runners in scoring position) but his
talents don't extend far beyond that.
Even if he does miss part of the
season, Katsuyuki Dobashi, Takahiro Ikeyama and
Toshifumi Baba can all fill in. The likeliest
scenario would have Dobashi play shortstop while
Ikeyama stays at third base with Baba and
Hatsuhiko Tsuji sharing second.
In three seasons, Miyamoto has
compiled a .274 career batting average with 25
steals, two home runs and 50 RBIs.
|
|
 |
| #
6 |
| Shortstop |
| Born:
11-5-1970 |
| Height:
176 cm |
| Weight:
70 kg |
| Bats:
Right |
| Throws:
Right |
| Honors: |
| 1997 |
| Gold Glove |
|
