"Is there no place in the independent league?" "23 Home Run" Foreign batter who is looking for a job on SNS
"Is there no place in the independent league?" "23 Home Run" Foreign batter who is looking for a job on SNS
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Adam Walker (34), an outfielder who was released by the Softbank Hawks, is invincible with the season just around the corner. After moving from the Yomiuri Giants to Softbank, he didn't show much last year. In 2024, his third year in the Japanese pro baseball league, he played in 20 games and posted a batting average of 0.169-11 hits, one homer, and three RBIs. He started as the seventh designated hitter in the opening game, and his registration for the first team was canceled on April 30 due to poor batting performance. He ended the season without returning to the first team.
Expectations were high for 2024. He hit five home runs at an exhibition game. He boasts power from his confident physique. He thus topped the home run list at an exhibition game. He hit his first home run of this season in Game 3 of the Orix Buffaloes and the Orix Buffaloes. However, he hit his last home run of the season. Finally, he failed to overcome his slump.
Walker was a third-round pick in the 2012 MLB Rookie Draft and joined the Kansas City Royals. He hit more than 25 home runs every year in the Minor League. However, he has never displayed his natural power in the Major League. He moved to Japan after playing in the Minor League and the U.S. Independent League. He lacked contact skills and recorded a strikeout rate of around 40 percent.
A foreign player who failed to renew his contract with the team participated in the championship tour of Hawaii, drawing attention. Softbank ranked No. 1 in the Pacific League for the first time in four years last year. After losing to Orix for three consecutive years, Softbank came back to the top by overwhelming performance. However, it beat Yokohama BayStars for two consecutive years in the Japan Series and lost for four consecutive years. After shocking defeat, it went on a journey to win the title of the league.
Walker accompanied his girlfriend on the winning trip. He posted a photo of him proposing to a Japanese female fitness trainer on a beach in Hawaii on his SNS account
It became a hot topic.
At the end of March when the season was about to begin, Walker was once again in the news. On Monday, Walker posted a job search on his SNS account. He attached his performance in the Japanese pro baseball league. He wrote, "I have no work now. I like Japan very much. I want to play in Japan again this year." This is a very unusual job search through SNS.
He must have judged that it would be difficult to make a direct move to a professional team based on his ability. Walker said, "Can I play in the BC League?" He mentioned the Japanese independent league. In other words, he sent a great signal of love to the BC League club officials. The BC League is an independent league operated mainly in the Kanto region including Saitama, Kanagawa, Tochigi, Ibaraki, and Gunma prefectures. A total of eight teams are participating in the league.
Walker has expressed affection for and interest in Japanese baseball. During his victory trip at Softbank, he said, "Over the past three years, I have come to like Japan very much and made good memories. I think I can still do it as a player. I want to play baseball in Japan if possible."
To Walker, Japan is a special place where he experienced success. In his first year as a member of the Yomiuri Giants in 2023, he played in 124 games and displayed good performance. His batting average of 0.271-110 hits, 23 home runs, 52 RBIs. He showed his presence in a league where foreign hitters cannot stand out. He was also popular among fans. 메이저사이트
However, his performance in 2023 dropped dramatically. He played in 57 games with a batting average of 0.263-31 hits, six homers, and 20 RBIs. He was traded to Softbank right after the end of the season.
Will this foreign player's dream of returning to Japan come true.