After 10 years in affiliated ball and two seasons in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league, infielder Gosuke Katoh is trading in his playing equipment for a gig behind the scenes. Days after announcing his retirement, Katoh revealed on his Instagram account that he has taken a job in the Blue Jays front office.
Katoh, 30, was born and raised in California, moving from the Bay Area to San Diego as a young child. The Yankees selected him out of high school in the second round of the 2013 draft, and he spent the next seven years working his way up the minor league ladder in their system. He elected minor league free agency after the 2019 campaign and proceeded to bounce between the Marlins, Padres, and Blue Jays organizations before finally getting the chance to make his major league debut. He made Toronto’s Opening Day roster in 2022, appearing in eight games before he was designated for assignment in early May. Across 11 plate appearances, he went 1-for-7 with three walks and a sacrifice bunt, scoring twice and striking out only once. The Mets claimed him off of waivers, and although they briefly recalled him from Triple-A for a handful of days, he never appeared in another big league game. New York DFA’d and outrighted him in June and released him at the end of the year.
Following the 2022 season, Katoh entered the NPB draft. (As a Japanese citizen, he had no choice but to be drafted before he could sign with an NPB club.) The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, his favorite team growing up, selected him in the third round, and he played for the Fighters in 2023 and ’24. Over those two years, he appeared in 90 games for the Fighters and another 64 with their minor league farm team in the Eastern League. Unfortunately, he had a particularly rough year at the plate this past season. Over 28 NPB games, he slashed .172/.238/.190 with one run, one RBI, and one extra-base hit.
Last Sunday, Katoh announced his retirement on Instagram, and yesterday, he revealed that he’ll be reuniting with the Blue Jays to take on an as-of-yet-unspecified role in the front office. The team has yet to confirm the news itself or provide any further details about Katoh’s role.
No disrespect to a guy who got to the Majors, but this dude was somehow both MLB AND NPB draft bust. That’s hard to do.
Can’t agree more!
Jump from HS to pro ball is steep and many/most don’t make it. Even from college to pro, and HS to college. Extremely difficult to make it. And NPB while easier than MLB is also extremely challenging. I imagine that his confidence level probably not the highest after MLB not working out. I’m sure that plenty of busts also don’t make it at NPB. Yes, some do successfully catch on with NPB after failing at MLB. Happy that he’s getting a chance doing something else baseball related.
Somehow I think almost anyone could do it.
“No disrespect”…proceeds to disrespect.
He made the majors, which really is hard to do no matter where you’re taken in the draft.
Also being draft-eligible for NPB is what I don’t understand considering he was born in California. How is he a Japanese citizen? And being drafted at age 28 in the third round makes it really hard for him to be considered a bust.
My guess is that if either one of his parents are Japanese citizens at birth he’s also a Japanese citizen even if born outside of Japan.
That’s also how it works for children of American citizens born outside the US. That’s how Ted Cruz was (probably) eligible to run for president despite being born in Canada.
He’s a Japnese citizen, as per the article on his signing with Hokkaido a few years ago.
He wasn’t an NPB draft bust. He had to enter the league through the draft rather than as a free agent because he is a Japanese citizen. He wasn’t a prospect of any sort at that time.
3rd round in the NPB is fairly high, no?
I am curious to see what role he takes in the BlueJays organization.
Mattingly’s assistant …..
Roki recruitment coordinator
Bingo! Not only Roki but maybe all talented Japanese players from here on.
He was really good in the minors but just didn’t enough of a majors look
Bet 9 grand that he wouldn’t retire yet and that he would play at least 2 more seasons and now the bookie is blowing up the phone with constant calls and messages.
You’re not even funny. Stop it.
His biggest major league claim to fame is having Robbie Ray wear his pants during his Cy Young year with the Jays.
You got it backwards, Katoh wore Ray’s 2021 Cy Young Pants when Katoh was with the Jays in 2022.
He had a great walk-up song. Forget what it was… something from the 80s
@bucsfan0004
Girls just want to have fun?
Rick Astley, Never Gonna Give You Up
The legend of Gosuke Katoh…
Little known fact, he was committed to UCLA before the Yankees drafted him in the second round. HS clips via Perfect Game.
perfectgame.org/players/playerprofile.aspx?ID=2723…
Mets legend Gosuke Katoh
Even in the coaching staff Atkins adds all glove no bat types
Born in nearby Mountain View, California!
Front Office?
I wonder, is this a sign the Blue Jays seek to recruit more out of Japan?