U22 Most Valuable Player Award Goes To Watanabe Sunday, December 31st , 2023
The manager of the Japan said he thinks Hideji Watanabe is only going to get better as he gets older.
He may only be 20, but it will be hard to top the second baseman's 2023 campaign, as he has been named the winner of the World Baseball Championship U22 Most Valuable Player Award.
His winning campaign featured a .368 batting average and a .488 on-base percentage this year. In 17 games he piled up 25 hits, 8 doubles, no triples, 7 home runs, 24 RBIs and 24 runs scored.
He received 10 first place votes out of a possible 20. Kimi Matsushita of the Japan finished second in voting with 1 first place vote, while Mitsuyoshi Nishimoto of the Japan finished third with 1 first place vote.
Japan's Higuchi Nets U22 Best Pitcher Sunday, December 31st , 2023
22-year-old Kiminaga Higuchi of the Japan put together a good year in 2023 for such a young player. Higuchi was named today as the winner of the World Baseball Championship U22 Best Pitcher.
Higuchi crafted an impressive 3-0 record and a 0.32 ERA. In 28.1 innings he allowed 10 hits, struck out 51, and walked 3.
He received 17 first place votes out of a possible 20. Anthony Molina of the Venezuela finished second in voting with 3 first place votes, while Egory Manuela of the Curaçao finished third.
U22 Headline News: The Offseason Begins Sunday, December 31st , 2023
Nothing beats the World Baseball Championship U22 tournament! Now that this tournament is finished, the excitement will begin to build for the next one.
