Hideki Nagaoka

1.1. Childhood and Education

Nagaoka was born in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture. He started playing baseball in first grade when he joined the Narashinodai Wanpakuzu, a youth baseball team. His father, a middle school teacher and baseball team coach, was a significant influence on his decision to pursue baseball. During his time at Funabashi Shiritsu Oana Junior High School, he played on the soft baseball team.

1.2. High School Baseball

Nagaoka attended Yachiyo Shoin High School, where he played as the team's leadoff batter and shortstop. Although the team did not qualify for the Koshien Tournament, Nagaoka showed impressive performance in the summer Chiba Prefecture Tournament. In the fourth round, he hit a home run against Rihito Yokoyama of Senda Matsudo High School. His team ultimately finished as runner-up, losing to Narashino High School in the final. Scouts who came to watch his senior teammate, Kotaro Kiyomiya, and observe Yokoyama, took notice of Nagaoka, leading to professional teams showing interest in him.

1.3. Professional Draft

On October 17, 2019, Hideki Nagaoka was selected by the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the fifth round of the Nippon Professional Baseball Draft. On November 13, he signed a provisional contract with a contract bonus of approximately 25.00 M JPY and an estimated annual salary of 5.00 M JPY. He was assigned jersey number 58. His scouting was primarily handled by Yasushi Maruyama.

2.1. Debut and Early Years (2020-2021)

In his debut professional season in 2020, Nagaoka played 71 games in the Eastern League (minor league), where he qualified for the batting title, finishing with a batting average of .219, 2 home runs, and 26 RBIs. In the minor leagues, he frequently formed a double play combination with his classmate, Ryusei Takeoka. Towards the end of the season, Nagaoka was called up to the first team for the first time. He made his professional debut on October 23 against the Chunichi Dragons at Meiji Jingu Stadium, starting as the 7th batter and second baseman. In his first at-bat, he flied out to Yariel Rodríguez. On October 30, against the Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome, he recorded his first professional hit, a single to left field off Nobutaka Imamura, while starting as the 8th batter and second baseman. He appeared in 6 first-team games, with this being his only hit, finishing the season with a .083 batting average.

In 2021, Nagaoka was registered with the first team on March 31 but was removed from the roster on April 5. He played in only 5 first-team games without recording a hit. However, he spent most of the year in the minor leagues, playing in 82 games and posting a .261 batting average with 7 home runs, showing signs of development.

2.2. Breakout Season (2022)

The 2022 season marked a significant breakthrough for Nagaoka. He had a strong performance in the spring training exhibition games, recording 5 RBIs, the second-highest on the team, which earned him a spot on the opening day roster. He started the opening game against the Hanshin Tigers at Kyocera Dome Osaka as the 6th batter and shortstop. Despite the team trailing by 7 runs in the 6th inning, he hit a crucial RBI double off Shintaro Fujinami, which ignited a comeback victory for the Swallows. Nagaoka recorded 4 hits in that game, contributing significantly to the team's improbable win.

Although his batting average initially hovered around .200, his stable defense and the struggles of other regular shortstop candidates, Naoki Nishiura and Hiyu Motoyama, kept him in the starting lineup. On May 6, against the Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome, he hit his first professional home run, a two-run shot to right field off Yuhei Takanashi. As regular catcher Yuhei Nakamura returned to the lineup and the top of the batting order became more consistent, Nagaoka was often fixed as the 8th batter, leading to an improvement in his hitting, with a batting average of over .300 in May. Despite a temporary absence due to COVID-19, he established himself as the regular shortstop, finishing the year with 9 home runs and reaching his first career qualifying at-bats.

In recognition of his defensive excellence, Nagaoka received the Golden Glove Award, becoming the youngest shortstop in the Swallows' history to win the award. He was the first Swallows shortstop to receive the Golden Glove since Shinya Miyamoto in 2003, ending a 19-year drought. On November 27, during the team's fan appreciation event, it was announced that his jersey number would be changed from 58 to 7. On December 7, he signed a new contract, increasing his estimated annual salary by 27.00 M JPY to 33.00 M JPY.

2.3. Consistent Performance (2023)

In 2023, Nagaoka continued to serve as the team's starting shortstop from the beginning of the season. On May 5, in a game against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars at Meiji Jingu Stadium, with the team trailing by one run in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs, he hit his first career walk-off home run off Yasuaki Yamasaki, securing a dramatic victory for the Swallows. He played in 135 games and maintained a league-leading fielding percentage of .986. However, his offensive performance declined, with a batting average of .227 (the lowest among the 27 players who qualified for the batting title that season) and 3 home runs.

After the season, Nagaoka experimented with playing third base during the Phoenix League in Miyazaki Prefecture. During a game on October 25, he was involved in a collision with left fielder Ren Sawai while fielding and had to be transported for emergency medical attention. As a result, he did not participate in the autumn training camp held in November. On December 12, he renewed his contract, receiving an estimated salary increase of 8.00 M JPY to 41.00 M JPY.

2.4. Batting Title Season (2024)

The 2024 season saw Nagaoka maintain his role as the regular shortstop, especially amidst a series of injuries to other field players. His consistent performance earned him a selection to the All-Star Game for the third consecutive year, and he emerged as a key leader for the team. On July 28, in a game against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, he delivered a game-winning walk-off double off Ryoji Kuribayashi. In August, he recorded an impressive .384 batting average with 38 hits. On September 29, he hit another walk-off RBI single against the Yomiuri Giants off Ryota Hirauchi, demonstrating his impact on both offense and defense throughout the season.

Nagaoka, alongside Munetaka Murakami, started every game at shortstop for the Swallows. He achieved career-high statistics with a .288 batting average and 163 hits, surpassing competitors like Koji Chikamoto and Shogo Akiyama to win the Most Hits title. This was his first career batting title and the first time a Swallows player had won the Most Hits title since Shingo Kawabata in 2015. On December 20, he signed a new contract, increasing his estimated annual salary by 51.00 M JPY to 92.00 M JPY.

5.1. Titles and Honors

• Most Hits: 1 time (2024)
• Best Nine: 1 time (Shortstop: 2024)
• Golden Glove Award: 1 time (Shortstop: 2022)
• Skymark Dramatic Sayonara Award (Annual Grand Prize): 1 time (2024)
• Skymark Monthly Sayonara Award: 2 times (May 2023, July 2024)

5.2. Career Milestones

• First appearance and first start: October 23, 2020, against the Chunichi Dragons (Meiji Jingu Stadium), starting as the 7th batter and second baseman.
• First at-bat: Same game, 2nd inning, flew out to left field against Yariel Rodríguez.
• First hit: October 30, 2020, against the Yomiuri Giants (Tokyo Dome), 5th inning, single to left field against Nobutaka Imamura.
• First RBI: March 25, 2022, against the Hanshin Tigers (Kyocera Dome Osaka), 6th inning, an RBI double to right-center field against Shintaro Fujinami.
• First home run: May 6, 2022, against the Yomiuri Giants (Tokyo Dome), 9th inning, a two-run home run to right field against Yuhei Takanashi.
• First stolen base: June 17, 2022, against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp (Meiji Jingu Stadium), 8th inning, stole second base (pitcher: Atsuya Horie, catcher: Shosei Nakamura).

5.3. Other Noteworthy Records

• All-Star Game appearances: 3 times (2022, 2023, 2024)

6.1. Batting Statistics

6.2. Fielding Statistics

• Bold indicates league leader in that year.
• Bold year indicates Golden Glove Award season.