Early career Tomohiro Nioka was the second draft pick of the
Yomiuri Giants in . He made his pro debut that year, playing in 126 games and hitting .289. The following season he played in 119 games, hit 10
home runs, and collected 32
runs batted in. Nioka played in only 86 games in
2001, and played in 112 in
2002. He hit 24 homers (which set a Giants record for his position) and compiled a .281 average in the 2002 season. The Giants won the championship in 2002, and Nioka won the
Japan Series Most Valuable Player Award.
Career year Tomohiro had a career season in . He played in 140 games, and hit .300, the first .300 season of his career. Nioka also recorded career highs in
hits (172), home runs (29),
stolen bases (14) and
runs scored (88). Nioka played a large part in keeping the Giants out of the cellar that year by hitting many home runs that helped snap losing skids, including a home run on September 18 that helped the Giants win, 5 to 3, and end a 9-game losing streak. The Giants tied for 3rd place in 2003.
2004-2013 In 2004, Tomohiro appeared in only 91 games, but still managed to collect 88 hits. He had a strong comeback year in 2005, hitting 16 dingers and driving in 58 runs. Nioka hit .301 in 2005, a new career high. In 2006, he reached the 20-home run mark for the third time by sending 25 over the fence. In , Nioka hit .295, hit 20 home runs, and set a career high in RBI with 83. He played at both short and
third base in '07. On November 14, , Nioka and
Masanori Hayashi were acquired by the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters for
Takahito Kudo and
Micheal Nakamura. ==MLB rumors==