Toho High’s Shotaro Morii, With Deviation Score of 71, Challenges Prestigious Majors

“I’ve turned down the nomination.”

“Every day is a battle”

“Love your friends, love baseball”

On the wall of the clubroom are numerous messages from past members to the juniors, filled with youthful spirit. Holding a bat and glove in this room of memories is Shotaro Morii (17), a third-year student at Toho High School in Kunitachi, Tokyo. As a two-way player, he throws a fastball with a maximum speed of 153 km/h and has recorded 45 home runs in high school. Morii, who had caught the attention of many NPB teams, made a big decision this fall. Here are his own words:

“Before the October draft meeting, I informed all 12 NPB teams that I was ‘declining their offers.’ I decided to pursue a challenge in the majors. I think I will start in the minors, but I want to eventually play on the big stage.”

Toho High School has a deviation score of 71, and this year, 12 students were accepted into the University of Tokyo, 69 into Waseda University, and 86 into Keio University. It is extremely rare for someone from such a prestigious school in Tokyo to challenge the majors. Morii, who is embarking on this unprecedented challenge, talks about his baseball journey and grand dreams.

“I started playing baseball when I was in first grade at Toho Gakuen Elementary School. My friend, who lived in the neighborhood and was a year older than me, played baseball, and I started with a light heart because of his influence. The team I joined, ‘Musashifuchu Little,’ was selected many times to represent Japan and was a strong team that competed worldwide, including in the U.S. From a young age, I naturally became interested in the majors. I loved both pitching and hitting, and I felt that ‘it would be a waste to give up either,’ so I pursued both (as a two-way player).”

However, young Morii was physically small and wasn’t an outstanding player. As a hitter, he lacked power, and as a pitcher, his control was not great. In sixth grade, he suffered from spondylolysis (a spinal injury that prohibited him from exercising for about six months) and, in junior high, joined the less strenuous soft baseball team instead of the hardball team.

“Not beautiful.”

At the time, Morii’s physique raised concerns for his mother, Junko, a yoga instructor. Junko recalls:

“He didn’t look athletic. He was stocky and had poor posture. My impression as a player was that it wasn’t beautiful or graceful.”

On Junko’s enthusiastic recommendation, Morii started practicing yoga. Yoga is not just about holding specific poses; each pose requires consideration of which part of the body is central and how to move in sync with the breath. Morii reflects on how yoga helped him:

“Since I started yoga, I’ve been able to think more objectively about how my body moves. How to swing the bat for greater distance and what arm movements are needed to increase fastball speed. Thanks to yoga, which I did three times a week for 30 minutes to an hour, I became able to practice more efficiently.”

Additionally, since the winter of his third year in junior high, Morii began keeping a “Baseball Notebook” every day with his mother, Junko. They filled eight notebooks in total.

“It’s a notebook where we exchange thoughts about the training of the day and any observations. If I just speak about what I feel, I forget it quickly. Writing it down helps me remember. When I review the notes and apply them to my practice, the feedback becomes part of me.”

The effects of yoga and the Baseball Notebook were immediate. By the time he entered high school, his hits exceeded the 87 meters of Toho’s right field, and his fastball often surpassed 150 km/h. As a deviation score 71, professional prospect, Morii frequently made media headlines. His physical flexibility was also exceptional.

“In the spring of my third year in high school, there was a fitness test organized by a sports equipment company with around 200 schools, including those that had participated in the Koshien tournament. My right shoulder joint flexibility ranked second in the nation. My back muscles were also strong, and I could create a ‘winged’ appearance with my shoulder blades.”

Though Morii had previously considered NPB, he has now fully committed to pursuing the majors. In September of this year, he attended a 4-day, 6-night trip where he watched Rookie League and Major League games. The experience solidified his decision.

“I’ve had inquiries from several major league teams. My goal is to start in Single-A in my first year, move to Double-A in my second year, and reach the major leagues in three to four years. Right now, I’m studying English as a sort of break, but once I go to the U.S., I’ll focus 100% on baseball. I’m excited to see how much I can grow.”

Morii’s grades place him in the middle of his class at Toho High, a school with the level of difficulty required to aim for top private universities. Now, the talented student from one of Tokyo’s best schools is aiming to make history in the U.S.

 

[Unpublished cut] Shotaro Morii, third-year student at Toho High School: “Challenging the majors from a prestigious school with a deviation score of 71.”