Wednesday, September 16, 2020

2010 BBM Tokyo Big Six Autumn Version Set - Where Are They Now?


BBM published their sixth set for the Tokyo Big Six League and their seven overall collegiate set in September of 2010.  The set was the Tokyo Big Six Autumn Version set.  Like the two previous Autumn Versions, this was a box set with a 36 card base set.  There were 30 player cards (five per team) plus six team cards.  The boxes also contained one of ten possible insert cards featuring either the Best 9 players from spring 2010 season or the ERA leader from the spring (Kazuki Mishima).

Ten of the 30 players in the set would go on to play in NPB.  Nine of these players had been in previous Tokyo Big Six sets - the only newcomer was Koji Fukutani of Keio.  Seven of the ten players are still active.  Here's the list:

Player College Year Drafted Notes
Araki, Fumiya Meiji 4 2010 Tigers 5th Played for Tigers 2011-present
Fukui, Yuya Waseda 4 2010 Carp 1st Played for Carp 2011-2018, Eagles 2019-present.  
Fukutani, Koji Keio 2 2012 Dragons 1st Played for Dragons 2013-present.  All Star in 2014
Habu, Shohei Waesda 3 2011 Carp 4th Played for Carp 2012-18.  
Itoh, Hayata Keio 3 2011 Tigers 1st Played for Tigers 2011-present
Kagami, Kisho Hosei 4 2010 Baystars 2nd Played for Baystars 2011-15.  Played for JR West after leaving Baystars
Mishima, Kazuki Hosei 2 2012 Baystars 2nd Played for Baystars 2013-present.  All Star in 2013
Nomura, Yusuke Meiji 3 2011 Carp 1st Played for Carp 2012-present, 2012 Rookie Of The Year.  Lead Central League in wins in 2016.  All Star in 2012 & 2016.  Named to Best 9 team in 2016
Ohishi, Tatsuya Waseda 4 2010 Lions 1st Played for Lions 2011-2019
Saitoh, Yuki Waseda 4 2010 Fighters 1st Played for Fighters 2011-present.  All Star in 2011-12

Here's each of their cards from the set along with a card of them from their time in NPB.  I've tried to pick a card I haven't already shown but I have more cards of Kagami as a collegiate player than I do of him as a Baystar so his card will be a repeat.

2010 BBM Tokyo Big Six Autumn Version #15

2017 BBM Tigers #T56

2010 BBM Tokyo Big Six Autumn Version #09

2019 BBM 2nd Version #353

2010 BBM Tokyo Big Six Autumn Version #02

2016 BBM Dragons Dash #10

2010 BBM Tokyo Big Six Autumn Version #11

2016 BBM Carp #C64

2010 BBM Tokyo Big Six Autumn Version #05

2017 Epoch Tigers #34 (Variant 1)

2010 BBM Tokyo Big Six Autumn Version #25

2015 BBM Baystars #DB34

2010 BBM Tokyo Big Six Autumn Version #26

2020 BBM 1st Version #193

2010 BBM Tokyo Big Six Autumn Version #14

2020 BBM Carp History #79

2010 BBM Tokyo Big Six Autumn Version #07

2020 BBM Farewell #26

2010 BBM Tokyo Big Six Autumn Version #08

2020 Epoch NPB #146
Of the other 20 players in the set, two of them - Shuhei Imasaki (Tokyo) and Kento Yajima (Meiji) - never appeared on any cards other than this set.  The other 18 players - Junichi Katori (Tokyo), Kanji Kawai (Hosei), Yoshihiro Maeda (Tokyo), Koichiro Matsumoto (Rikkio), Masahiro Nagasaki (Keio), Masataka Nakamura (Meiji), Kazuki Nishijima (Meiji), Kenya Okabe (Rikkio), Keisuke Okazaki (Rikkio), Hayato Saitoh (Rikkio), Yo Sasaki (Hosei), Yohei Tachi (Tokyo), Daisuke Takeuchi (Keio), Hiroshi Taki (Hosei), Soichiro Tanaka (Rikkio), Shita Utsumi (Tokyo), Yuya Watanabe (Waseda) and Tatsushi Yumoto (Keio) - all appeared in at least one other BBM Tokyo Big Six set.

This was Yuki Saitoh's final appearance in a BBM collegiate set before being drafted by the Fighters in the fall of 2010.  I remember being concerned at the time that it would be the last Tokyo Big Six card set since I was (and still am) convinced that BBM only did the sets to cash in on Saitoh's popularity after the 2006 Koshien tournament.  I was pleasantly surprised when they continued issuing the sets - there would be four more after this one - Spring and Autumn Versions in 2011 followed by single issues in 2012 and 2013.

1 comment:

Fuji said...

Yuki Saitoh stands out, because he was the most expensive name in that 2008 UD USA Japanese Collegiate A/S relic set.