Shinnosuke Abe

On September 24, 2019, Abe announced he would retire after the 2019 season, his 19th in NPB.

With 396 career home runs (through August 2018), Abe ranks #20 on the NPB career list.

Also, he was selected Nippon Professional Baseball All-Stars at the 2004 MLB Japan All-Star Series and the 2006 MLB Japan All-Star Series. On November 16, 2018, he was selected Yomiuri Giants roster at the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series exhibition game against MLB All-Stars.

He was the captain of Japanese national team in 2013 WBC, and hit 2 home runs in the same inning against the Netherlands, becoming the first and only player to achieve such a feat in the history of the WBC.

In 2012, after hitting .340 with 27 home runs and 104 RBIs, Abe was named the Central League Most Valuable Player. In addition, Abe was the co-recipient (along with teammate Tatsunori Hara) of the 20112 Matsutaro Shoriki Award.

In the 2009 Japan Series, won by Abe's Giants 4 games to 2 over the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, he was named the Most Valuable Player.

He was selected Japan national baseball team at the 1997 Intercontinental Cup, 1999 Asian Baseball Championship, 2000 Summer Olympics, 2007 Asian Baseball Championship, 2008 Summer Olympics, 2009 World Baseball Classic, 2012 exhibition games against Cuba and 2013 World Baseball Classic.

Shinnosuke Abe (阿部 慎之助 , Abe Shinnosuke, born March 20, 1979 in Urayasu, Chiba) is a Japanese professional baseball player with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He is the captain of the Giants. He has twice been named the MVP of the Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Series, in 2007 (Game 1) and 2010 (Game 1).