is a former Japanese

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

, and current the third squad manager for the

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...

(NPB). He played for the

Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, wh ...

in 1980, and the Nankai Hawks/Fukuoka Daiei Hawks from 1983 to 1995.

Professional career

Active player era

Ogawa joined the Seibu Lions without going through the draft in 1978. In 1980 season, he made his

Pacific League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series. It currently consis ...

debut and played in seven games. He was

traded Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct excha ...

to the Nankai Hawks in a money trade during the 1982 season. In the 1986 season, He was a regular at shortstop and reached the regulation

plate appearance In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner ...

. He then became a defensive expert who could play both infield and outfield, retiring in 1996. Ogawa played in 1006 games during his 18-season career,

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

.237 with 469

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

s, 11

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

, and 155 RBI.

After retirement

After his retirement, Ogawa served three years in the front office of the

Fukuoka Daiei Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...

before serving as the Hawks' second squad infield defense and base coach from the 2000 to 2001 seasons. He also served as the

Orix BlueWave , styled as ORIX, is a Japanese diversified financial services group headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, and Osaka, Japan. ORIX offers leasing, lending, rentals, life insurance, real estate financing and development, venture capital, investment an ...

's second squad infield defense and base coach from the 2003 to 2004 seasons. He served as a scout for the

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles The , often shortened as the , are a baseball team based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It has played in Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League since the team's formation in November 2004. The team is owned by the Internet shopping c ...

from 2009 to 2010 after working in the front office of the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in organization management. In 2011 season, Ogawa became the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks third squad manager and in 2014 served as the first squad head coach, helping his team win the Japan Series championship. From the 2015 season he was again the third second manager and from the 2016 season he was the second squad infield defense and base coach. In 2017 season, he became a professional baseball player scout and was appointed for the third time to the position of third squad manager for the 2022 season. He will serve as the forth squad manager beginning with the 2023 season. On December 2, 2023, he was transferred to the third squad manager.

References

External links

Career statistics - NPB.jp

- Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Official site 1960 births Living people Japanese baseball players Nippon Professional Baseball infielders Seibu Lions players Nankai Hawks players Fukuoka Daiei Hawks players Japanese baseball coaches Nippon Professional Baseball coaches Baseball people from Chiba Prefecture {{japan-baseball-infielder-stub