Kaito Kozono: The humble bat that made a loud statement

Kaito Kozono had a major impact on the WBSC Premier12 2024 presented by RAXUS. As one of the most productive bats in Samurai Japan, Kozono led the defending champions in hits and home runs and ranked second in OPS and RBI.

The 24-year-old, who had 12 hits for the whole tournament to rank fourth overall, sent two longballs to the bleachers in Chinese Taipei's 9-1 win over USA in their opening game of the Super Round but was humble about the performance.

“I was really surprised by myself; I didn’t go for the home run; I don’t know what to say,” Kozono told the media during the post-game interview.

“This is a miracle. It’s a little scary that I hit the home run. I should return to work on my fundamentals,” said Kozono.

The home runs were part of Kozono's three-hit night. He was credited with the winning RBI when he hit a triple in the fifth to give Japan a 3-1 lead. His first home run of the night came in the seventh inning, and the second one followed in the eighth inning.

Kozono, who was a member of Samurai Japan which won a bronze medal in the 2017 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup, is known for his speed (50 meters in 5.8 seconds), slugging power (38 home runs in high school), defensive range and throwing arm.

In 2018, he was drafted in the NPB first round by four clubs at the same time (Orix Buffaloes, Yokohama DeNA BayStars, Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, and Hiroshima Toyo Carps) before the Carps secured the rights of negotiation by the draw.

In 2024, Kozono appeared in a league-high 143 games and collected a career-high 151 hits. He brought his season leading stats to the WBSC Premier12 as his 12 hits and two home runs topped all his Samurai Japan teammates while his OPS and RBI both ranked second on the team. In all but one game that Kozono appeared during the WBSC Premier12, he was able to produce at least one base hit, while having five multiple-hit games out of his seven starts.

Kozono's seven RBI in the Japan-USA game also set the record for the most RBI by a Japanese professional player in an international tournament since 1999.