:Kensuke Tanaka
{{short description|Japanese baseball player (born 1981)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2012}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
| name = Kensuke Tanaka
| image = NF-Kensuke-Tanaka20120310.jpg
| image_size = 270px
| caption = Tanaka with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in {{Npby|2012}}
| alt = Kensuke Tanaka 2009 Japan Series
| position = Second baseman / Left fielder
| positionplain =
| team =
| number =
| bats = Left
| throws = Right
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age |mf=yes|1981|5|20}}
| birth_place = Fukuoka, Japan
|debutleague=NPB
|debutdate=
|debutyear=2000
|debutteam=Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
|debut2league = MLB
| debut2date = July 9
| debut2year = 2013
| debut2team = San Francisco Giants
| finalleague = NPB
| finaldate =
| finalyear = 2019
| finalteam = Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
| final2league=MLB
| final2date=July 28
| final2year=2013
| final2team=San Francisco Giants
|stat2league = MLB
| stat21label = Batting average
| stat21value = .267
| stat22label = Home runs
| stat22value = 0
| stat23label = Runs batted in
| stat23value = 2
|statleague = NPB
| stat1label = Batting average
| stat1value = .282
| stat2label = Home runs
| stat2value = 46
| stat3label = Runs batted in
| stat3value = 462
| teams =
- Nippon-Ham Fighters/Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters ({{npby|2000}}–{{npby|2012}})
- San Francisco Giants ({{mlby|2013}})
- Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters ({{npby|2015}}–{{npby|2019}})
| awards =
- 2× Japan Series champion (2006, 2016)
}}
Kensuke Tanaka (田中 賢介, born May 20, 1981) is a Japanese former professional baseball second baseman and left fielder. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, and in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants.
Career
=Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters=
Tanaka played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) from 2000 through 2012.
=San Francisco Giants=
Tanaka made his Major League debut with the San Francisco Giants, in left field, on July 9, 2013, against the New York Mets despite playing almost exclusively second base with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and the Giants' Triple–A affiliate, the Fresno Grizzlies.{{cite web|url=http://blog.sfgate.com/giants/2013/07/09/sf-giants-make-a-flurry-of-roster-moves-including-one-shocker/|title=UPDATE: Bochy explains Tanaka move for SF Giants|date=July 10, 2013|work=San Francisco Giants: The Splash|accessdate=October 11, 2014}} He was designated for assignment by San Francisco on September 3, and released the next day.{{cite web|url=http://rangersblog.dallasnews.com/2013/12/texas-rangers-may-sign-tanaka-kensuke-tanaka.html/|title=Texas Rangers may sign Tanaka: Kensuke Tanaka|work=Texas Rangers Blog|accessdate=October 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929023305/http://rangersblog.dallasnews.com/2013/12/texas-rangers-may-sign-tanaka-kensuke-tanaka.html/|archive-date=September 29, 2015|url-status=dead}}
=Texas Rangers=
Tanaka signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers on December 20, 2013.{{cite web|url=http://m.rangers.mlb.com/news/article/66106576/rangers-agree-to-terms-with-kensuke-tanaka-and-ryan-feierabend|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017192914/http://m.rangers.mlb.com/news/article/66106576/rangers-agree-to-terms-with-kensuke-tanaka-and-ryan-feierabend|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 17, 2014|title=Rangers agree to terms with Kensuke Tanaka and Ryan Feierabend|work=Texas Rangers|accessdate=October 11, 2014}} He played in 62 games for the Triple–A Round Rock Express in 2014, batting .258/.340/.371 with four home runs, 27 RBI, and 12 stolen bases. Tanaka was released by the Rangers organization on July 20, 2014.{{cite web|url=http://rangersblog.dallasnews.com/2014/07/rangers-likely-headed-for-more-roster-roulette-this-week.html/ |title=Rangers likely headed for more roster roulette this week |work=Texas Rangers Blog |accessdate=October 11, 2014 |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017184958/http://rangersblog.dallasnews.com/2014/07/rangers-likely-headed-for-more-roster-roulette-this-week.html/ |archivedate=October 17, 2014 }}
Personal life
Tanaka is married to Japanese Sapporo TV reporter Chiho Nishimori (西森千芳).
References
External links
{{Commons category|Kensuke Tanaka}}
{{Baseballstats |mlb=547887 |espn=32585 |br=t/tanakke01 |fangraphs=14448}}, or [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/T/Ptanak001.htm Retrosheet], or [https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.cgi?id=tanaka001ken Baseball Reference (Minor, Japan and Winter Leagues)], or [http://bis.npb.or.jp/eng/players/11915111.html Register : Tanaka, Kensuke (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters)], or [http://yakyubaka.com/tag/kensuke-tanaka/ Kensuke Tanaka - Yakyu Baka] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425082809/http://yakyubaka.com/tag/kensuke-tanaka/ |date=April 25, 2012 }}, or [http://pakila.jp/kensuke/ Official Blog] {{in lang|ja}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanaka, Kensuke}}
Category:Bravos de Margarita players
Category:Japanese expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Category:Fresno Grizzlies players
Category:Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters players
Category:Japanese expatriate baseball players in the United States
Category:Major League Baseball players from Japan
Category:21st-century Japanese sportsmen
Category:Nippon Ham Fighters players
Category:Nippon Professional Baseball infielders
Category:Round Rock Express players
Category:San Francisco Giants players
Category:Baseball people from Fukuoka Prefecture
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