George Arias, a Naional

Also, is there other guy like him that made his name in Japan and reverse-imported to the Majors?

The most famous reverse import would have to be Cecil Fielder, who made his name playing for the Hanshin Tigers in 1989 and then went on to hit 51 homers for the Detroit Tigers in 1990. OK, strictly speaking, he already had a couple of seasons under his belt playing for the Blue Jays before going to Japan, but he was only earning $125,000 a year and not playing every day.

More at Wikipedia.

- I don't know much of the guy, but what do people think he will do in the Majors?

Arias will probably vie for a bench spot in spring training.

Also, Eddie Gaillard signed a minor league contract with the Rockies. [Link - RotoWorld]

Orestes Destrade was another notable 'Western' player who tried to make the switch from Japan to MLB. He had one pretty good year before "flopping" the next year, and I don't think he was ever heard from again.

Of course, Alfonso Soriano played in Japan for a year or two before coming to the U.S. I think his Japanese club released him from his contract for some reason. I don't remember why, I but I remember reading that he didn't like playing in Japan at all.

Arias actually had 480 MLB ABs for several teams before jumping to Japan. His stats weren't particularly good when he was in MLB before (14 HR, 55 RBI, .238 BA, .640 OPS). It will be interesting to see how he does now after his success in Japan, but I wouldn't expect him to be an impact player. Hopefully, for his sake, he'll do better than Destrade.

- I don't remember why, I but I remember reading that he didn't like playing in Japan at all.

I always thought that Soriano asked for a raise, and the Carp did not want to give him a raise. And then Soriano signed with the Yankees.

Thanks everyone for interesting replies.

Personally, it is great that many players are going between MLB and NPB. More opportunity for all.

Well, players associations may not agree(?). At least it's good for us fans.

Looking forward to see how Gabe Kapler (Red Sox -> Giants) and Tony Batista (Expos -> Hawks) will do in 2005. As I do with Iguchi, Yabu, and the like.

Bill Gullickson was a 20 game winner after returning to MLB from Japan. Other players who became MLB regulars coming back from Japan include Matt Stairs, Lee Stevens, and Rob Ducey.

Being a big Hanshin Tigers' fan, and having seen my fair share of games the past three seasons since Arias moved over from Orix, I feel he doesn't have the bat speed or the plate smarts to really do much back in the Majors.

Here's my take on Arias: [Link - Baseball Guru].

I'll do Petagine shortly, since he signed with Boston.

Jim Albright

That is a load of good statistics, but no RBI's? Even at the games in the Japan the scoreboards never show how many RBI's a hitter has when he's at the plate. It's still a very telling stat about a hitter's abiltiy to come through when it matters.

Brian:

What you are seeing is a projection of what he would have done in the majors. However, RBI are very heavily influenced by who's batting in front of you in the order. If the guys in front of you don't get on much, and/or clear the bases before you get up by driving them home, you're not going to get RBI no matter how capable you are at that skill. I might add, studies have shown that the interaction of the players' established talent level plus his number of opportunities is probably the best way to determine how many RBI someone will have. The problem with projecting this from the NPB numbers is that a guy who bats cleanup in Japan may be a number 6 hitter in the majors - so the RBI numbers just don't translate well.

A real life example is Ichiro had enough power in Japan to be a good #3 hitter, but in the majors, he's a leadoff man with far fewer RBI chances. As a result, I leave them out.

Jim Albright

Thanks for that.

For more complete stats, look as his NPB career stats on this site.

At long last, it's nice to find out what has happened to my favorite gaikokujin tora-san. I will be optimistic about George Arias being a fine everyday player in Washington.

But I think it is really a shame that he could not find a spot in NPB. His temperament seemed well-suited to Japanese baseball, and he seemed like a much-beloved "team player" at Koshien. He fielded well, had some important clutch hits, and always handled himself with grace and class. I certainly do not feel the Hanshin Tigers are better off without him.

Couldn't agree more! I'd prefer to see him still playing at first rather than Sheets.

George Arias is going to start the season in the minors according to Yahoo! Japan Sports. You can see a picture of him in his National's uniform on this page from Yahoo! Japan Sports.

Arias batted .263 (5-19) with an RBI for the Nationals in spring training. Arias will play for the AAA New Orleans Zephyrs. [Spring Training Stats - MLB.com]

Eddie Galliard was re-assigned to minor league camp by the Rockies. Galliard had knee problems early in camp which limited him. Galliard was 0-0 with a 11.37 ERA in 6 games. Rockies' manager Clint Hurdle said "There's no doubt he's a guy we'll need before the season is over, and he'll be a functional part of our bullpen." [Link News - MLB.com] [Spring Stats - MLB.com]

It looks like George Arias will not decide to start the season in the minors. [Not on the Zephyrs' roster.]