NPB Tracker

Edit Monday 17:46 PST: Reports of these signings have been debunked by the Phillies.

According to Daily Sports, the Phillies have reached basic agreements on minor league deals with former Yokohama BayStars pitchers Shigetoshi Yamakita and Naoya Okamoto. Both lefthanded, Yamakita (32) and Okamoto (26) will report to the Phils’ minor league camp in March. Neither saw time at the top level last year, but you can see their minor league stats on NPB’s official site.

File this one under self-promotion.

This spring I’m making my print debut, in the Rotowire 2010 Fantasy Baseball Guide. The magazine has won a host of accolades, and personally it’s an honor to be in the same publication as writers like Jeff Erickson, John Sickels, and Will Carroll. I hope you’ll check it out.

Orix Buffaloes infielder Hiroyuki Oze has shockingly died. The 24 year-old fell from the second floor at the hotel he was staying at in Miyakojima, Okinawa. Nikkan Sports and others are speculating that this could have been a suicide, though details are still unavailable.

Last year I wrote a post like this about Nick Adenhart. I hope this is the last time I write about this type of news.