NPB: 20 can’t miss former MLB players in Japan

Former MLB players and top-ranked prospects are suiting up in the NPB this year.

1B Justin Bour- Hanshin Tigers

After being selected by the Miami Marlins in the 2013 Rule 5 Draft from the Chicago Cubs, Justin Bour finished fifth in 2015 NL Rookie of the Year voting. The George Mason University product hit 23 home runs with 20 doubles and a .800 OPS. He would hit 83 bombs in five seasons before being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Bour wasn’t able to find his power stride, or much of any stride, after leaving Miami, hitting .224 in 29 games with the Phillies and .172 last season in 52 games with the Los Angeles Angels. It’s unlikely that Bour, now 32, returns to MLB, but the power-hitting first base/DH should be able to find success in Japan and finish his career with a large number of home runs.

RHP Gabriel Ynoa- Tokyo Yakult Swallows

Ynoa joins a long list of former Orioles pitchers who are attempting to recreate themselves overseas in 2020. Fellow former O’s Dan Straily and Aaron Brooks are currently having notable campaigns in the KBO. Ynoa is hoping he can experience some of that same success in Japan.

A former Top 30 prospect with both the Mets and Orioles, Ynoa was never able to put it all together in the big leagues. He logged 110 innings with the O’s last season, pitching to a 5.61 ERA and a 1-10 record. Opponents hit 29 home runs off him and rarely swung and missed, going down via the strikeout just 67 times.

LHP Matt Moore- Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

Back in 2012, Baseball America had OF Bryce Harper as the top-ranked prospect in baseball. A guy named Mike Trout was ranked third. In between Harper and Trout was Tampa Bay Rays prospect Matt Moore. Talk about a fall from grace.

Moore’s fastball, curveball, and control were once ranked as the top tools in Tampa’s farm system. His promising career seemed to be on track after winning 11 games in his rookie season and following that up with a 17-4 season in 2013, posting a 3.29 ERA and earning his one and only All-Star nod. Injuries, including Tommy John surgery, zapped his velocity as he bounced around between the Giants, Rangers, and Tigers before leaving for Japan.

Believe it or not, Moore is still only 30 and has an opportunity to be a prominent pitcher in the NPB over the next few years.

OF Jose Pirela- Hiroshima Toyo Carp

Originally signed by the New York Yankees back in 2006 as a teenager out of Venezuela, Jose Pirela was a decent minor league player coming up through the system until a breakout year 2014 at the Triple-A level (21 doubles, 11 triples, 10 home runs, .305/.351/.441 slash).

Unfortunately, Pirela wasn’t able to secure a spot in the Yankees lineup and failed to cement a spot with the San Diego Padres over the last four years. His best season came in 2018 where Pirela hit .249 with 30 extra-base hits in 146 games, but his defense left a lot to be desired, both at second base and in the outfield. His sneaky pop could play up in the NPB as he attempts to find a regular home in a starting lineup.

RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka- Saitama Seibu Lions

Now 39 years old, Dice-K is still rolling along in the NPB, looking to make another comeback after missing most of 2019 with a shoulder injury. The year before, he was the NPB’s 2018 Comeback Player of the Year winner. Can he win it again?

Matsuzaka spent eight years in the major leagues, winning 33 games and piling up 355 strikeouts in his first two seasons with the Boston Red Sox. He finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2007 and fourth in Cy Young voting the following year. He was never able to find that sort of success again in the majors.

Over his final six seasons, Matsuzaka was worth -0.2 bWAR. He closed out his career in the States with two seasons as a member of the New York Mets, finding moderate success out of the bullpen in his final year.

Fans will be greeted with former MLB players on many teams in the NPB this season.

OF Cory Spangenberg- Saitama Seibu Lions

Another NBP rookie, Cory Spangenberg was the 10th overall pick in the 2011 draft by the San Diego Padres and may be remembered more for his two pitching performances than his offensive play in San Diego. He was unable to live up to expectations, hitting .258 across five seasons.

Spangenberg left San Diego to try and earn more playing time with the Milwaukee Brewers last season but spent much of the year in Triple-A. He appeared in just 32 games at the big league level, hitting .232 with a .277 on-base percentage. There’s some pop in his bat and he can play just about every position on the field, making him a likely valuable asset to the Lions.

RHP Sean Nolin- Saitama Seibu Lions

Sean Nolin joined the Lions on the same day as Spangenberg as the former noted prospect looks for a fresh start. A former Top 100 prospect, Nolin has spent the last two seasons pitching at various minor league stops and a stint in Independent ball last year as he worked his way back from Tommy John surgery that wiped out all of 2017. Nolin gave up 24 earned runs in his 31 MLB innings with the Blue Jays and A’s.

OF Nori Aoki- Tokyo Yakult Swallows

Aoki bust onto the scene in the United States with two solid seasons as a Milwaukee Brewer. Finishing fifth in 2012 National League Rookie of the Year voting, Aoki had a productive six-year career in the majors, hitting .285 with a .350 OBP with seven different organizations. He was worth 10.5 bWAR from 2012-2017. Now 38 years old, Aoki is back in Japan where he has continued to be a reliable piece in the lineup who reaches base at an impressive clip.

OF Jabari Blash- Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

If you like moonshot home runs, Jabari Blash is your guy. Blash wasn’t able to translate his enormous power into success at the major league level, but he has found a home and success in Japan. An 8th-round pick of the Seattle Mariners in 2010, Blash made his MLB debut with the San Diego Padres in 2016 but hit just .169 in 38 games. In 123 games, Blash put a career slash line of .186/.306/.307 and managed just eight home runs. He hit 33 home runs last year, his first in the NPB.

Remember Kosuke Fukudome? He’s one of those former MLB players still playing in the NPB.

OF Leonys Martin- Chiba Lotte Marines

Most baseball fans are very familiar with Martin after a nine-year MLB career and stints with five different organizations from 2011-2019. The majority of Martin’s career was spent with the Texas Rangers where he hit .255 with 20 home runs and was worth 8.8 bWAR. Martin was released by the Cleveland Indians halfway through the 2019 season, finishing the year in the NPB where he re-signed for another year. At just 32, Martin could be a major addition to a Chiba Lotte team looking to get above .500 this. year after finishing last year with a 69-70-4 record.

3B Christian Villanueva-Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters

After nine years of minor league baseball, Villanueva finally reached the big leagues in 2018 as a member of the San Diego Padres. In 12 games, Villanueva showcased his big power at the plate with four home runs and became a serious candidate to start 2018 in the Padres starting lineup. After wrestling away the starting third base job from Chase Headley, Villanueva hit 20 home runs in 2018 but hit just .239 with a .299 OBP after a torrid start to the season.

The Padres released Villanueva later that offseason as he took his talents to Japan. He struggled in his NPB rookie season, but with a year under his belt to settle in, Villanueva could power his way through a successful 2020.

OF Steven Moya-Orix Buffaloes

Once an MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospect, Steven Moya wasn’t able to put it all together in the big leagues, but will now team up with Adam Jones to form an exciting duo for the Orix Buffaloes. Moya hit 35 home runs with 33 doubles back in 2014 while in Double-A with the Detroit Tigers, hitting a combined 138 home runs in the minor leagues.

OF Kosuke Fukudome- Hanshin Tigers

Chicago Cubs fans remember Fukudome well after spending three-plus successful seasons at Wrigley Field. Fukudome joined the Cubs in 2008, an All-Star season for the rookie who slashed .257/.359/.379 with 38 extra-base hits. He was even better in his sophomore season, hitting .259 with 54 extra-base hits and drawing 93 walks. Fukudome struggled after being traded to the Cleveland Indians and eventually found his way back to Japan where the 43-year-old is still a reliable bat in the lineup.

And the final 4 former MLB players, including Hisashi Iwakuma whose NPB career isn’t over yet.

RHP Rubby De La Rosa- Yomiuri Giants

Armed with a 100 mph fastball, Rubby De La Rose was once considered a top pitching prospect in baseball and looked promising his 2011 debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Unfortunately, he largely struggled over the next three years before having a career year in 2015 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. De La Rosa went 14-9 with a 4.67 ERA and 150 strikeouts that year. He is now 31 and looking to re-establish himself in Japan after injuries derailed his MLB career.

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RHP Hisashi Iwakuma- Yomiuri Giants

Iwakuma may have had a short career with the Seattle Mariners, but he quickly became a fan favorite and proved to be a stable force in the starting rotation for five years in Seattle. Iwakuma ended his career with a 63-39 record, a 3.42 ERA, and a 1.14 WHIP. Injuries limited him to 31 IP in his final season in Seattle and just two last year in Japan (minor leagues). Now 39, Iwakuma will look to rebound and close out his professional career on a positive note.

RHP Nick Martinez- Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters

An 18th-round pick out of Fordham, Nick Martinez spent four years in the Texas Rangers starting rotation, compiling a career 17-30 record and 4.77 ERA. Low strikeout numbers and soaring home run numbers led to his release in 2017. He quickly found success in the NPB, going 10-11 with a 3.51 ERA in his rookie season. Martinez missed virtually all of 2019 due to injury but is healthy again and ready to reclaim his spot in the starting rotation.

RHP Carter Stewart- Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

Carter Stewart never suited up for an MLB team (or even a minor league team), but he’s someone who continues to remain of interest to baseball fans. The 6’6″ righty took his wicked curveball and talents to the NPB after refusing to sign with the Atlanta Braves after being drafted in the first round of the 2018 MLB draft.

The Braves offered Stewart well-below slot value after citing a wrist injury in his medicals, leading Stewart to sign a multi-million dollar with Fukuoka. He spent last season in the minor leagues and could make his NPB debut this year.