Kazuo Matsui

Born: 10/23/1975 in Osaka, Osaka, Japan

MLB Debut: 2004-04-06 | Final Game: 2010-05-18

Bats: B | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 187 lbs

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Biography

Kazuo Matsui, born in 1975, was a notable Japanese professional baseball player who made significant contributions to Major League Baseball during his career from 2004 to 2010. Known for his versatility as a position player, Matsui brought a unique blend of speed and agility to the game, reflected in his impressive total of 102 stolen bases over his tenure. He appeared in 630 games, where he accumulated 615 hits, 32 home runs, and 211 RBIs, finishing his career with a batting average of .267. Matsui's journey from Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball to MLB was emblematic of the growing globalization of the sport in the early 2000s, a period marked by increasing international talent in the league. His ability to adapt to the American game while showcasing his skills on a larger stage helped pave the way for future generations of Japanese players in MLB. Beyond his statistics, Matsui was celebrated for his work ethic and team-first mentality, leaving a lasting impact in the hearts of fans and teammates alike during his time in the league.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
630	2302	330	615	124	20	32	211	102	179	403	0.267	0.321	0.380	0.701	-3285.3

Career AVG .267 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .321 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .380 vs. league average .420 across their career seasons — 9.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.701 vs. league average 0.753 across their career seasons — 6.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
2004	NYN	NL	114	460	65	125	32	2	7	44	14	40	97	0.272	.266 (+2%)	.335 (-1%)	.427 (-8%)	.762 (-5%)	-433.1
2005	NYN	NL	87	267	31	68	9	4	3	24	6	14	43	0.255	.264 (-4%)	.330 (-9%)	.418 (-16%)	.749 (-13%)	-700.3
2006	NYN	NL	38	130	10	26	6	0	1	7	2	6	19	0.200	.269 (-26%)	.336 (-30%)	.431 (-38%)	.768 (-34%)	-807.0
2006	COL	NL	32	113	22	39	6	3	2	19	8	10	27	0.345	.269 (+28%)	.336 (+16%)	.431 (+17%)	.768 (+17%)	-807.0
2007	COL	NL	104	410	84	118	24	6	4	37	32	34	69	0.288	.268 (+7%)	.335 (+2%)	.422 (-4%)	.758 (-2%)	-136.1
2008	HOU	NL	96	375	58	110	26	3	6	33	20	37	53	0.293	.263 (+11%)	.333 (+6%)	.416 (+3%)	.749 (+4%)	304.8
2009	HOU	NL	132	476	56	119	20	2	9	46	19	34	85	0.250	.262 (-5%)	.332 (-9%)	.417 (-15%)	.750 (-12%)	-1225.5
2010	HOU	NL	27	71	4	10	1	0	0	1	1	4	10	0.141	.257 (-45%)	.325 (-39%)	.402 (-62%)	.728 (-52%)	-607.9

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
11	46	5	14	2	2	1	8	3	12	0.304

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
2007	NLCS	COL	4	17	2	4	0	0	0	2	1	5	0.235
2007	NLDS2	COL	3	12	2	5	1	2	1	6	2	2	0.417
2007	WS	COL	4	17	1	5	1	0	0	0	0	5	0.294

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
2B	473	454	942	1312	36	335
SS	113	111	178	324	23	66

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
2004	NYN	2B	3	3	4	8	1	3
2004	NYN	SS	110	108	174	323	23	65
2005	NYN	2B	71	64	107	187	9	32
2006	NYN	2B	31	30	72	85	1	23
2006	COL	2B	21	21	48	73	2	26
2006	COL	SS	3	3	4	1	0	1
2007	COL	2B	102	96	200	311	4	84
2008	HOU	2B	94	94	190	219	12	56
2009	HOU	2B	130	127	279	373	6	99
2010	HOU	2B	21	19	42	56	1	12

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Second Base	473
Shortstop	113

Salary History

Year	Team	League	Salary
2010	HOU	NL	$5,500,000
2009	HOU	NL	$5,500,000
2008	HOU	NL	$5,500,000
2007	COL	NL	$1,500,000
2006	NYN	NL	$8,033,333
2005	NYN	NL	$7,033,333
2004	NYN	NL	$5,033,333
Total Career Earnings			$38,099,999