Haruki Nishikawa returning to Nippon Professional Baseball

At least one posted player will not be coming stateside, as Nippon Ham Fighters outfielder Haruki Nishikawa is heading back to Nippon Professional Baseball.

With limited options in center field available this offseason, Nippon Ham Fighters outfielder Haruki Nishikawa had hoped to make the jump to the majors. A slap hitting speedster with a good eye and excellent defense, it seemed likely that a market would emerge for Nishikawa.

While teams reportedly had interest, that market never materialized. The speedster will instead head back to the Fighters for at least one more year.

Nishikawa had a solid nine year run in Nippon Professional Baseball. He produced a .286/.382/.394 batting line in 4671 plate appearances, hitting 51 homers and 173 doubles. His speed has led to 287 steals and three stolen base titles.

His impressive speed also helped him defensively. Nishikawa had earned three Gold Glove awards, showing excellent instincts and an ability to get a strong jump on the ball. His defensive profile and strong on base skills led to the belief that he could emerge as another Ben Revere type of player – a solid outfielder who could end up as a respectable leadoff hitter.

That profile also hindered his place on the open market. While the ongoing free agency saga of Geroge Springer did not help, teams were not willing to commit to a player of Nishikawa’s ilk while similar options were available.

Nishikawa’s luck may change next year. Four teams – the Astros, Blue Jays, Cardinals, and Diamondbacks – were known to have interest in the outfielder. If he still has that desire to come stateside and enters international free agency, he may be able to fulfill his goal of playing in the majors.

For now, Haruki Nishikawa’s dream of playing in the majors is on hold as he did not come to terms with a major league team. Instead, he will return to the Nippon Ham Fighters for anothre year.