[Orix] Shuhei Fukuda cut from the roster: “Not to maintain the status quo, but to improve,” expressing his desire to continue playing… Keisuke Honda and Kazutomo Iguchi also notified
Sports Hochi
2025.10.14(火) 13:00
On the 14th, Orix announced that outfielder Shuhei Fukuda will not be signing a player contract for next season. left-handed hitter joined Orix as the third pick in the 2017 draft after stints at Koryo University, Meiji University, and NTT East Japan. “Moments like winning baseball championship are some of my best memories. Talking about baseball with my teammates in the locker room, things like that, are really memorable when I look back,” he said, looking back on his eight years with the team.
In 2018, despite being a rookie, he played in 113 games, posting consistent results with a batting average of .264, 15 RBI, 1 Home Run, and 16 stolen base. In 2019, he played in a career-high 135 games, posting a batting average of .250 with career-highs of 2 Home Run, 38 RBI, and 30 stolen base.
In 21, he challenged outfielder and contributed to the league championship with a batting average of 20.7.5%, 1 Home Run, and a batting average of 20.7.5% in 107 games, mainly as a “No. 1 center fielder”. In the following 22 years, he won the league championship in 118 games with 20.6 minutes and 8% in 24 RBI, contributing to the Japan and winning his first Golden Glove Award in the outfielder category.
However, his playing opportunities have gradually decreased since 2011, and this season, after changing number from 1 to 65, he finished with a batting average of .167 in 23 games.Even so, after being removed from the active roster on August 15th, he recorded a batting average of .355 in 30 games in Western League. “As long as I can still play baseball in an Orix uniform, there is still a chance that we will play in the CS and Japan Series. I want to prepare to give my best performance there,” he said, participating in the Phoenix League in Miyazaki.
Although he is small at 167cm, he is a passionate player who has captivated fans with his gutsy plays, such as head slides and diving catch. “I always have a desire to improve. I don’t want to just maintain the status quo, I want to aim to level up,” he said, indicating his intention to continue training while waiting for offers from other teams.
The team announced on the same day that it had given similar notices pitcher pitcher Kazutomo Iguchi and Keisuke Honda.
Related News
・ [Orix] Shuhei Fukuda, who is not in the plans for next season, will continue playing. “I want to play on the NPB stage. I will continue practicing.”
・ [Orix] Kodai Sano is released from the team… After switching to fielder, he has a total of 97 hit and 50 stolen base “Winning three consecutive championships as fielder was a great experience.” His future is undecided.
・ [Orix] Shuhei Fukuda is not in the team’s plans for next season… The leadoff hitter helped the team win consecutive league championships is at a crossroads in his career as a player
・ [Orix] Ryota Muranishi, Taiki Ono and five other players have been cut from the roster… Ono will participate in a tryout, while Muranishi will retire.
・ [Orix] Shuhei Fukuda promoted again “with the mindset of becoming a regular player again” Removed from the roster on April 21st
AloJapan.com