KENT SAKAMOTO

11/3/83; '06 12th; Fresno State Univ.
R/R; 6-0, 215

Level
BA
OBP
SA
AB
2B
3B
HR
BB
K
SB
CS
2005 NCAA
.305
.396
.451
164
8
2
4
24
36
8
2
2006 NCAA
.332
.413
.482
253
18
1
6
30
58
9
2
2006 A-
.228
.281
.370
162
12
1
3
10
48
0
1
2007 A
.280
.334
.451
457
26
5
14
31
88
5
0
2008 A+
.259
.328
.407
482
35
3
10
50
124
5
1

Sakamoto was a walk-on at Fresno State.  The Pirates drafted him as a senior; he was not drafted as a junior.  He didn't show much power in college, so it's likely the Pirates viewed him as an organizational player, although it makes little sense to be drafting organizational players in round 12.  He played 1B on a semi-regular basis for Williamsport and showed nothing beyond modest doubles power.  His BB and K numbers were very poor and he didn't hit LHPs at all, managing only a .393 OPS against them.  He nevertheless was the regular 1B at Hickory in 2007 and had a solid season.  This time around he had a huge platoon split, posting an OPS of 1.011 against LHPs and .697 against RHPs.  He may also have benefited from the hitters' park at Hickory, as he posted an OPS of .870 at home and .695 on the road.  He's good defensively but doesn't run well.  At Lynchburg in 2008 he had a similar year only not as good.  He has warning track power and it resulted in a lot of doubles but not that many HRs.  He drew more walks, but also fanned a lot for a hitter with modest power.  His platoon split wasn't as severe as the year before, as his OPS was about 90 points higher against LHPs than RHPs.  Sakamoto will open 2009 at age 25 and can't be considered a prospect.  The Pirates could send him back to Lynchburg or they could give him a chance as a backup in AA.

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