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.