Xavier Batista conducting a preseason interview for Leones del Escogido.
Articles

The Bauble in LIDOM

About halfway through this past Central League (JPCL) season, I wrote about the interesting career path of Xavier Batista. At the time he deserved all the praise in the world for having turned his career around. The Hiroshima Toyo Carp slugger had gone from a prospect to out of baseball to a developmental prospect again […]

Xavier Batista at-bat for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.
Articles

The Diamond on the Carp

Not all foreign players who sign contracts with Nippon Professional Baseball find success. The myth is that NPB is a place where foreigners go to dominate. Those who follow NPB closely, or even those like me who only follow as they can, are able to easily dispell of this myth. Yet, the myth exists and […]