Tuffy Rhodes pummled a Yoshihisa Hirano offering just inside the leftfield foul pole during a situational batting drill Friday. Manager Terry Collins indicated that he might keep Rhodes around to just before Opening Day before making a final decision as to his disposition.My translation looks right to me in the context that it was quoted, which was what Rhodes will have to do to get his visa and be back by opening day. But if he has to wait until just before opening day for a decision, then he isn't going to have a visa until the proper paper work can be done, and he go to the U.S. and back. I wish Garland-san had noted the primary source for his report. Can I have a third opinion on the translation (please refer to the original article in Japanese - not my fragment)?
Orix manager Terry Collins gave Tuffy Rhodes, the 38 year old former Reds player who is undergoing a try out at the team's Kochi camp, a preliminary passing grade. Rhodes hit his "first" home run off of an outside corner fast ball pitched by Yoshihisa Hirano, to the left field grass seating area during a situational batting practice drill. "It's progress. He practices hard, and I expect him to improve," commented Collins on a positive note. As of February 22, Rhodes has hit 4 out of 9 in intrasquad games, including 2 consecutive RBIs. With Kiyohara out with a left knee injury, there's a good chance that Rhodes may be batting in the number four spot on opening day.Go Tuffy! (And they also say he's stoically giving up the Harley Davidson in Japan for a while, not that I think it's going to make much of a difference.)
"I haven't heard anything yet about my making the team, but I feel I'm making really good contact with the ball," said Rhodes enthusiastically. Taking into account the 2 weeks required for obtaining a working visa, an official decision is expected to be made by team by the end of the month. A tentative schedule for his joining the club is as follows: 1) a trip to the States in the beginning of March, 2) a return to Japan during mid-March to play in his first exhibition game, 3) opening day against Softbank on March 24. "I'm thinking he'll be ready by opening day," said Collins.
This is a site about Pro Yakyu (Japanese Baseball), not about who the next player to go over to MLB is. It's a community of Pro Yakyu fans who have come together to share their knowledge and opinions with the world. It's a place to follow teams and individuals playing baseball in Japan (and Asia), and to learn about Japanese (and Asian) culture through baseball.
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Michael Westbay
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Here's hoping he can beat all the odds and come back to Japan for a proper farewell.