2006 Foreign Players?

Is it true that the Hanshin Tigers signed left handed pitcher Alan Newman?

Glover is close to signing with the Giants. Glover is a close friend and former team mate of John Bale (Hiroshima Carp) when they were in the Bluejays orginization. Glover is a hard throwing right hander. Great pickup for the Giants and a loss for the Brewers.

Yeah, great pick up? His stats are just fantastic in the big leagues. Career ERA of over 5 on terrible teams. Velocity is at best low 90s, and he walks way to many guys for a reliever. Giants had a great reliever in Sikorski but probably didn't want to pay! Instead bring in a guy who has never pitched here and pay him chump change. The Giants are a mess!

- Giants had a great reliever in Sikorski but probably didn't want to pay! Instead bring in a guy who has never pitched here and pay him chump change. The Giants are a mess!

Sikorski was a terrible pitcher, too, before coming to Japan. Wait until Glover actually pitches before actually saying something.

I agree, the Sikorski move was a bad move. But I also think Glover will be a good signing. Remember, Sikorski never pitched in Japan at one time either, so I wait before actually saying something. It seems like you're the same guest who complains about Sikorski in the topic "Brian Sikorski" who thought he was the best reliever in the Central League. I think I'll wait until Glover actually pitches to make a final judgement.

I've seen Glover pitch, and Sikorski. There is no comparision. If you look Sikorski really never got a chance in North America; he pitched in only ten games. Glover has about six seasons.

I just don't get the Giants' reasoning. Sikorski has been one of the best relievers in the Central the last 2 years. Not the best, but he would definitely be in the top 5 or 6.

Some fell in love with Miceli when the Giants signed him last year, too!

Geez, it almost sounds like his Sikorski's wife is posting.

- Not the best, but he would definitely be in the top 5 or 6.

Again, Sikorski is a good reliever but not in top 5 or 6, many are ahead of him, too many to list. He's in the top 20 for sure, but not in the top 10. The J-F-K combo with Hanshin for one, Hirotoshi Ishii of Yakult, Iwase of the Dragons, Marc Kroon of the BayStars, Egusa of the Tigers, Hayashi of the Giants, and Bale of the Carp.

- I see these teams are testing Burnside Beverlin and White. Any word on how these guys have done or how they are doing.

I read a report the other day that Beverlin pitched to near perfection for a 7 batter session on the mound. No other word as to the status of his test with Rakuten yet.

A different report stated that Matt White didn't do so well while testing for Orix, giving up 2 runs and 5 hits through 4 innings of pitching, reaching a maximum velocity of 141 kph. Apparently the coaches weren't too pleased with his outing, but aren't going to be quick to judge.

As for Beverlin, that's good to hear. I think he will come back to Japan and do a nice job. He was a really good pitcher for Yakult while battling through that bad elbow and, now that he is healthy, look for a strong season from him.

Matt White would be a good one inning guy out of the pen. He matches up well against lefties and has a great changeup. Hopefully Orix can look past his test and realize his upside.

Now as for Gary Glover, he has a low 90's fastball and can be used as a starter or as a reliever. If I could compare him to anybody in Japan, I would say his style is similar to Tom Davey. He's a big tall right hander and can be intimidating. I think he will do well, but the Giants' past hasn't been good with foreign pitchers. I hope he can overcome that. One pitcher that did well was Sikorsky. I don't understand how the Giants couldn't use both of those guys. Glover as a starter and Sikorsky as a reliever. The Giants' loss in Sikorsky will be a big gain for another team.

Beverlin turned down Rakuten's offer three days ago to pursue other opportunites. Talking with his agent, they were familiar with the "debacle" those guys have running in the Sendai area.

When do they start announcing what foreigners are coming back?

That's too bad that the Eagles didn't make a good offer to Beverlin. I'm sure their loss will be someone else's gain.

I think free agency starts in December, so by then we should see if teams that have players' rights offer them contracts or not. It will be interesting to see what players are available. Do you know of any foreign players that played in Japan last year that are free agents this year?

- Do you know of any foreign players that played in Japan last year that are free agents this year?

Alex Cabrera, Brian Sikorski, Lee-Seung Yeop, Tuffy Rhodes, Mark Kroon, and Jeremy Powell are the players most likely to draw interest on the free agent market.

Yomiuri worked out Manny Aybar, but he got hammered in a simulated game during the Giants' fall camp and it appears that he won't be signed.

Orix worked out Brad Fullmer, but concerns about the integrity of Fullmer's knees caused the Buffaloes to pass.

There has been some news about the Hawks looking at Arthur Rhodes as a possible closer, but it needs to be said that Rhodes hasn't been able to hold on to that job when he has been given a shot at it in the big leagues.

Nippon Ham is reportedly interested in Sammy Sosa, though they don't want to pay monster bucks for him, especially since he looks like he is just about done. The press posits that Sosa is obsessed with reaching 600 homers and is unlikely to take any Japan offers, though his agent is mouthing that Japan is a possibility.

Yakult has been impressed with former Mexican Leaguer Ed Rios. No decision has been made, the last I heard, on actually signing him. Alex Ramirez, Ricky Guttormsen, and Dicky Gonzalez will all be back for the Swallows in 2006.

Also, iirc, Hiroshima has picked up a pitcher named Douglas. Ichiro is 0 for 7 against him and that is the angle the press is taking with him.

Sankei Sports is reporting that Jason Beverlin is testing with the Yokohama BayStars. This has to be good news for Yokohama considering Beverlin had a perfect record against them.

I heard a rumor that the Carp are not going to offer a contract to Davey, and they are not going to pick up the option on LaRocca. Is there any truth to that?

Also, where is JP rumored to be going? What about Sikorsky? Will Cedrick be back?

Orix still has exclusive negotiating rights with JP until the end of November, but the reports that I've been reading are stating there is a hang up over salary. Some of the papers don't think that Orix will be able to close the deal before December, and that other teams like Yomiuri or Hanshin will outbid Orix for JP.

I haven't heard anything about LaRocca, Davey, or Cedrick, but I'll keep my eye open.

I would assume that once JP comes free in December that he would lead the way. He should be the most wanted guy, and whatever he gets, things will filter down for the other guys that will be free such as Kroon, Cedrick, Davey, and so on.

It looks as if there will be some good players available this year that teams didn't offer back. Moreso than in the past.

Also, the BayStars and Kroon have reached a snag in contract talks over a third year.

Ed Rios finished up his test period with the Swallows, but Yakult is playing a wait and see game, in order to check out other foreigners they want to test. The report I read didn't state any other names for the Swallows.

Matt White will not be joining Orix, as new manager Katsuhiro Nakamura was not impressed with White's performance. Nakamura stated that White's speed was not as fast as he expected, and that he didn't pitch inside very much to right handed batters.

As for Orix, not deciding to sign Fullmer and White are no surprise. Fullmer didn't play any games for AAA Charlotte this year and as Orix I would be worried about his health. As for White, he has bounced around as a Rule V pick for a couple of years and signed a minor league contract this year and only played one game with the Expos.

As for Arthur Rhodes, he should be interesting given the chance. Though I'm not so sure if I would put him at closer either.

As for Sosa, I can't seriously believe any team on the planet would be interested in him. After watching him strikeout over and over for the Orioles this year, he would be a negative influence for any team. Like Gary said, Nippon Ham won't want to pay big bucks for Sosa, and he will stay in the majors and be lucky if he gets a chance, even.

Douglass, is a pretty good sign in my opinion. He had a pretty good year this year for AAA Toledo. He went 9-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 14 games with Toledo. With the Tigers he went 5-5 with a 5.56 ERA in 18 games. [Minor League Stats]

Honestly, you can't see either Rhodes or Sosa coming over here. They have played in the majors far too long to consider playing over in japan. Also, Sosa can't do steroids here either, seeing that there is drug testing next season. That would also be a problem for Fullmer. That would have been a bad move signing him. He would get torn up in Japan.

As for Douglass, great AAA stats and bad big league stats. Sounds the the kind of guy that might do well over here if he can make the adjustment to Japan.

There has to be some other options out there.

The Japanese teams ought to check out Eric Valent. He's 28, played a bit for the Mets, but could not stick. He can hit for some power and is good defensively. His problem is that he hits weakly against righties. He isn't part of the Mets' plans, but he is a good player.

A guy that could be a monster is Brain Daubach, first baseman. Hit over .300 with over 25 homers. Choked with the Mets' call up, but he could be huge in Japan. Also played for the Red Sox, but couldn't stick. If his make up for Japan is right, he could be a home run leader.

This list [Minor League Baseball] includes the 2005 Minor League 6 year free agents, which should include some players that should interest some NPB teams.

Already, Juan Melo has been tested out by Yakult, though I guess that test didn't go well as I haven't heard anything about it.

As for Valent, he could end up being good, though the problem he could end up like Spencer playing time wise (platooning) if he struggles against righties.

As for Daubach, he's a great option for NPB teams. He's a power bat, that could help a lot of teams.

I can't believe that nobody has shown any interest in former Hanshin closer and Dragon starter-reliever Marc Valdes!

Hanshin is reportedly about to pick up Chris Oxspring, the Aussie hurler who kept Japan out of the gold medal round at Athens.

Marty Brown wants to strengthen the Carp's defense up the middle and he apparently doesn't think much of LaRocca's glove. Also, LaRocca was an injury magnet last season. However, it would be hard to believe that some other team, especially the offensively challenged Eagles, wouldn't be ringing LaRocca's agent real quick. I was also suprised that Davey was let go as well. Again, Rakuten or Orix should be giving him a call.

The Cabrera and Kroon issues have reportedly been resolved, with Yokohama said to have caved to Mark's demands for about $2 million per year.

Masao Kida has reportedly been picked up by Yakult, presumably to bolster their middle relief. Sikorsky has been signed by Rakuten, iirc. I wouldn't be suprised to see Powell picked up by Yomiuri. They need somebody who can eat some innings given their aging staff and the bullpen situation.

Daubach has been whispered about in Japan circles for a couple of years now. I think he would do well, but time is running out for him.

The Chin-feng Chen signing by Orix will prove to be interesting. He isn't much defensively, but he should be able to hit.

Incidently, what is Jerrod Riggan doing nowadays? Anyone know?

And how about Olmedo Saenz? He might do pretty well, too, in Japan. I have no idea, however, if he is interested in playing there.

Jerrod Riggan is 100% healthy now. He pitched 18 rehab innings last year posting a combined ERA between A and AA of near 2. Blows my mind no Japan team is looking at him after his 2 great years with the Tigers.

- He pitched 18 rehab innings last year posting a combined ERA between A and AA of near 2.

That probably answers your question, Riggan didn't pitch in AAA last year. Then, Riggan struggled slightly in AA Binghamton with a 5.79 ERA in 4 games. He only pitched in 14 games, pitching a total of 16 innings. I'm not 100% sure if he's completely healthy. [Minor League Stats]

It appears that Chin-feng Chen hasn't been signed by any Japanese team yet. I saw where Rakuten has been sniffing around him. Still, I would be interested to see what he could do in Japan.

Sikorsky hasn't signed with Rakuten yet, but rather was claimed off of waivers. It appears that he will be able to reach agreement with the club, though.

The weird happening has been Lotte cutting Matt Franco, Danny Serafini, and Val Pascucci loose at the request of their agents. Serafini is being looked at by Yomiuri. Lotte, though, will try to retain him and Franco. I have no idea how they feel about Pascucci.

Aybar is actually pitching fairly well in the Dominican Winter League, I believe. I think he is on Licey.

Another guy just released was Jeff DaVannon. He's a pretty good hitter. An NPB team should check him out.

Any info re Jamie Brown appreciated. Thanks,

Brown is in Korea with the Samsung Lions.