NPB Tracker

A brief update, to show you all that I have a pulse…

• Ricky Barrett and Andy Sisco both failed their in-camp auditions with Yokohama. “They couldn’t exceed our expectations in the intrasquad games,” said a team representative.
• Another former BayStars lefty, Naoya Okamoto, will be in camp with the Mexico City Reds this spring. Okamoto, along with Shigetoshi Yamakita, was headed toward an invite to the Phillies’ minor league camp, but negotiations reportedly took a turn for the worse and eventually concluded with no deal. Yamakita’s plans are unknown.
• Hiroshima brought John Bale back on a budget deal. Bale should provide some lefty pitching depth, along with fellow returnee Ken Takahashi.

Also congratulations to NPB Tracker reader Chris Gissell, who recently signed a minor league deal with Colorado.

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.