"It's all love": Kanoa Morisaki receives the Tommy Watanabe award

Nine years ago, the baseball world lost a genuine soul. Tommy Watanabe may no longer be with us, but his memory will forever be remembered at Paul Thomas. When someone receives the Watanabe Award, it is not just an indication of their love for baseball, but the remembrance of a life worth knowing.

After three years as an AppleSox, there is no one more deserving of that legacy than Kanoa Morisaki.    

“The award to me is about a player that has a joyful love for baseball,” head coach Mitch Darlington said. “Loves his teammates. Loves the organization. A guy who shows up every day and is excited to be at the yard… I think Kanoa is the perfect choice for this award.”

“I know that it holds a lot with not just the AppleSox but with the Watanabe family,” Matty Morisaki said, Kanoa’s father. “I was very moved hearing this.”

All the way from Honolulu, Morisaki’s name holds an appropriate meaning.

“Kanoa means free spirit,” Matty said. “I think that fits him well because growing up he was a free spirit. I don’t know how much parenting I did. Kanoa is teaching me. So, it’s a perfect name for him.”  

There really is no one more free than Kanoa. Ever since arriving in Wenatchee, he has played as much as he can for as long as he can.

“I first figured out he was a catcher,” pitching coach Quincy Vassar said. “Then he was a pitcher. And then he played shortstop for 20 games. I was like ‘this guy is a super hero’. He plays every position. He’s an amazing pitcher, and most people don’t even know.”

That quality served him well his first year in Wenatchee, where he played an invaluable role in the team’s playoff run.

“He could play every position,” Darlington said. “He was a catcher, he played short, he pitched. He was a big tool for us to have in that first year… He was a guy who was willing to do whatever it took to help the team win.”

That first season in 2024, Morisaki played shortstop for a majority of the season, on top of pitching in the clutch for playoffs. That dedication stems from a deep love for the game, which began even before Kanoa could speak.

“My earliest memory was… coming home and seeing Kanoa in this sagging diaper with a plastic bat,” Matty said. “We had this pitching machine that shot up a plastic ball and him just swinging and hitting that. That was probably at two years old.”

Flash forward to when he was eight, and Mr. Morisaki began to see just how unique his kid was.

“Every level that he went into, all the coaches said how special he is,” Matty said. “I remember in tee-ball he had really long hair, and most of the other coaches thought he was a girl…Everyone would say ‘Man, she’s so good!’. It got to a point where I just said thank you. I didn’t want to correct them.”

After committing to California State Bakersfield, Kanoa’s path took a turn that would forever alter his career. Saki’s teammate Elijah Pelayo had just wrapped up his season with the AppleSox and could not help but recommend Kanoa to the coaching staff. In the blink of an eye, Saki was getting the call and hopping on a flight to the valley.

The rest is history. Every single year, month, week, day, and minute that he has been in Wenatchee, he has repeatedly touched the lives of those around him.  

“Saki is the best man,” AppleSox pitcher Joe Thornton said. “He’s caught me for three years. Two years ago when I was really new to pitching, I came into a game against Bend, and he could tell I was a deer in headlights. He was fantastic at getting me to calm down.”

“When he walks in the room… everybody kind of loosens up,” teammate James Castagnola said. “He’s just fun to be around.”  

That ability to put people at ease is not common, and it is what makes it so easy for him to be a leader.

“He sets the standard,” Thornton said. “A new guy is able to come in, and they can tell right away, ‘whatever number 11 is doing I should probably be doing too.’”

It did not start that way. When Saki first arrived, he was a youngster, and has since developed his confidence by leaps and bounds.

“That first year here, he was a true freshman, and he didn’t really know what position was his,” Darlington explained. “He was a shortstop for us that summer. He’d catch every third game. But I think his confidence, especially catching, has taken off. He just has a presence about him.”

That presence is infectious, and the youngest AppleSox have felt its effects.  

“Guys like Akkani [Owodunni] and [Michael] Podstreleny,” Darlington said. “Just having that professionalism of how to show up every day to work. Taking some guys under his wing.”

His ability to teach has been long in the making. Year after year he has gotten better at being a mentor, largely because of a trait that has grown within him.  

“His independence,” Matty said. “It continues to grow and grow and grow. I come from the old school that you’re a student for life. Keep learning. Keep wanting to learn. The AppleSox give you an opportunity to work on your craft… Also touching other players. One of them came up to me and said that Kanoa has been a great mentor for me. That’s what it’s about.”

Leading by example goes beyond the game itself. Morisaki repeatedly gives back whenever he can.

“He’s such a humble guy,” Vassar said. “On days when he’s not playing, he’s down here catching every bullpen… He’s finding any way to be helpful… He’s helpful to younger guys.”

“Kanoa is the kind of kid where it’s Thanksgiving morning, and he’s sending you a text to say Happy Thanksgiving or Merry Christmas,” Darlington said. “He just cares. He cares about everyone around him.”

It can be hard in baseball to stay positive. In a sport that repeatedly faces you with failure, Kanoa knows how to keep his mind right. Specifically, by playing the ukulele.  

“It resets me from my day,” he said. “After a long day, playing the ukulele for a little bit, it relaxes me and teaches me good lessons in life.”

“I used to play a little bit, but he’s taken it to a whole new level,” Matty said. “My wife and I gave him his first ukulele when he was small. He’s self-taught. After baseball, he could go home and play for a half hour. Kind of decompress.”

Matty will be the first to tell you that, while he may be his dad, he did very little to shape who Kanoa is.

“I said very little to Kanoa growing up,” he said. “He kind of raised himself. It's not the old teaching the young, it’s the young teaching me… He leads by example. They see the work he puts in every day and that speaks volumes.”

That self-taught kid has grown up into a man that Matty will never stop being proud of.  

“As a parent, I am so proud of Kanoa,” he said. “As a person, he’s a great human being. Seeing him touch a lot of people, and believe me, the people are touching him too; it’s a two-way street, that’s what I’m very, very proud of.”

Talking to Matty and Kanoa, you can see what matters most to them… community.

“It’s the people here,” Matty said. “The greatest people. His host family, Larry and Shirley, have been parents to him. We trust them, and they love Kanoa…. The whole community here. I just love talking to everybody. They talk to you. It’s a real country feel which is beautiful.”

“The culture here,” Kanoa said. “Playing for Mitch, Quincy, and especially Ian Sagdal this year. They do a great job of helping us become better players.”

That love for the people and community is a rare trait. Building family in a strange place can be hard; the Morisakis make it easy.

“It’s him and his family,” Darlington said. “His dad shows up here and has these shell necklaces to give to our kids. Gives you a hug immediately, and he means it. It’s all love with him and Kanoa.”

He has truly found a home in Wenatchee, and they wouldn’t know what to do without him.

“He’s a foundational piece,” Vassar said. “When Kanoa’s here, we can expect the true pillar of a player.”

Gratitude is what that pillar is built on. Saki is permanently grateful for every moment he has on the diamond. That gratitude is rooted in the understanding of his family’s history. Saki’s grandfather picked pineapples when he was Kanoa’s age, working to give his family a good life. Now, at the age of 99, he still watches all of Kanoa’s games as best he can. Matty always makes sure Kanoa knows how far he’s come.

“I told Kanoa when he signed with Bakersfield… your ancestors before you, their fields were jacked up,” he said. “They made it smooth for you on the field you play on now.”

Safe to say, Kanoa does not take anything for granted. You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who wants to be on the field more than Saki.

“It’s just wanting to be here,” he said. “Baseball is such a blessing. Getting to play the game, especially in college. Everyone should be smiling about that every day.”

And smile he does. All day every day. Seldom will you see Kanoa without a smile.

There truly is no one kinder, more caring, harder-working, or more grateful than Kanoa. For that reason, he is the obvious pick for this award. Congratulations to Kanoa Morisaki… your 2026 Watanabe Award winner.