Japanese Baseball Cards: Akihiro Higashide

Another retiring player was Akihiro Higashide of the Carp. You'd be forgiven if you thought he'd already retired - he hasn't appeared at the ichi-gun level since 2012. He was drafted in the first round of the 1998 draft by the Carp out of Tsuruga Kehi High School. His best seasons were between 2006-10 - he made the All Star team in 2006, 2008-10 and was named to the Best 9 team in 2008 and 2009. He injured his knee in spring training of 2013 and has never really recovered. The Carp made him the ni-gun hitting coach last spring so he spent 2015 as a player-coach. He also played for the Japanese National Team in the 2001 Baseball World Cup.