Slightly Better than Replacement Level
Fubon Guardians signed 1B/LF-R Xavier Batista to an unknown contract A couple of years ago Xavier Batista was on the fast track to success. He had returned to professional baseball after having left the affiliated ranks in 2013. Following a three-year hiatus, he signed a developmental deal with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Nippon Professional […]
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 […]
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 […]