Draci Brno of the Czech Extraliga is signing Japanese outfielder Takashi Ogino, the team announced.
Ogino, 40, has spent his entire professional career with the Chiba Lotte Marines. He won a Japan Series as a rookie in 2010, hitting .326 with 25 stolen bases in 46 games before an injury ended his campaign. His peak season came in 2019, when he slashed .315/.371/.470 with 10 home runs and 28 steals across 125 games. Most recently, he appeared at the NPB level in 2024 and produced a respectable .279/.321/.335 line in 80 games, but injuries sidelined him for most of 2025, limiting him to just 34 minor league games.
Unfortunately, durability has been a constant challenge throughout his career as the Nara native has topped 100 games in a season just three times and has completed a full season only once, in 2021. But when healthy, Ogino’s elite bat-to-ball skills, speed, solid outfield defense, and energetic personality always made him a fan favorite in Makuhari. He concluded his NPB career with 1,143 hits, 49 home runs, 260 steals, and a .732 OPS.
Last year, Ogino’s Marines and the Czech Republic national team launched a joint initiative to promote baseball development and cultural exchange. As part of the partnership, Czech national team pitching coach John Hussey attended Lotte’s farm team spring camp, gaining firsthand experience in a high-level NPB development environment.
Now, it is one of Lotte’s own heading to Czechia, as the veteran joins a Brno club that has captured 26 championships across 33 seasons in the Czech Extraliga since the league’s founding in 1993, including in 2025. In addition to Ogino, another former Marine will play in Europe during the 2026 season, as 37-year-old pitcher Ayumu Ishikawa signed with the Oosterhout Twins of the Dutch Honkbal Hoofdklasse last month.
WBN Europe: https://worldbaseball.com/league/europe/
Photo: Wiki Commons
