Takashi Shimizu

is a professional baseball catcher for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan's Central League.

Early life Shimizu was born in Miki, Hyogo, Japan on 23 April 1984. He started playing baseball when he was in the second grade at Hirata Elementary School in Miki, becoming the team's catcher due to his strong arm. After leading Miki Junior High School to third place in a regional tournament as the team's catcher and number four batter, he wanted to enroll in a high school known for its baseball program. However, on his parents' advice that "only a handful can feed themselves playing baseball", he instead enrolled in the academically known Ono High School in Miki. He had a total of 6 home runs while at university. However, he did not get an opportunity to play for the first team and was eventually sent to the Tigers' farm team in the Western League. He played 41 games for the farm team, with a batting average of .260 and 5 home runs. In 2008, he played in 54 Western League matches, including 47 as a catcher. His batting average fell and he hit only 3 home runs. During the year he was wearing contact lenses, but underwent laser corrective surgery at the end of the year.