Tempe, Arizona – Shun Yamaguchi said Monday he is determined to make his mark in the majors after inking a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants.
Speaking in an online press conference from spring training in Arizona, the 33-year-old right hander said he was happy the National League West division club had given him a shot following his release by the Toronto Blue Jays.
“(San Francisco) is a team with a strong tradition, and I’m really excited,” said Yamaguchi, who became a free agent after the American League East’s Blue Jays waived the second year of his two-year contract.
The first player ever posted by Japan’s Yomiuri Giants in 2019, Yamaguchi struggled in his first major league season last year as a reliever for Toronto, who did not use him in the playoffs after he went 2-4 with an 8.06 ERA in 17 regular season games.
“I’m not satisfied with my results. With the situation I’m in now, I want to see how far I can go,” said Yamaguchi.
San Francisco announced the minor league deal Saturday for Yamaguchi, including an invitation to major league spring training.
The former Nippon Professional Baseball star with Yomiuri and the DeNA/Yokohama BayStars will make his bid for inclusion in San Francisco’s 40-man roster at spring training, which runs through March.
“I want to earn a major league contract and prove I can contribute throughout an entire season,” Yamaguchi said.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
PHOTO GALLERY (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
KEYWORDS
Source : Baseball – The Japan Times