The Canberra Cavalry hope the signing of four Japanese stars will boost their hopes of winning another Australian Baseball League title and be the trigger for a two-way player pathway system.
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The Cavalry unveiled Shota Imanaga, Tomoya Mikami, Yuki Kuniyoshi and Koki Aoyagi as recruits on Sunday as part of a partnership with the Yokohama Baystars.
Imanaga, Mikami and Kuniyoshi are pitchers, while Aoyagi will add depth in the outfield, with the Baystars sending their players to Australia in the Japan off-season.
It will be the first time a Japanese club has allowed players to stay in Australia for the entire ABL season and Cavalry chief executive Donn McMichael is confident it can be the start of something special.
"This is as good as it gets. Two of them are legends in Japan and the outfielder, Aoyagi, has all the tools as a young guy," McMichael said.
"We're talking about really serious baseballers here. And the other good thing about is that they will be allowed to stay for the complete season.
"They've been scattered around Australia for five or six weeks in the past, but they'll be here with us for everything. [The Baystars] have a real interest in developing baseball in Australia, and particularly with the Cavalry.
"It's a win-win situation for everyone and it says a fair bit about the state of the game in Australia."
The Cavalry will play start the ABT season in Melbourne on November 15, but their home games will be delayed until work on a new grandstand has finished at Narrabundah.
McMichael and his team have also recruited former Major League pitcher Madison Younginer and Craig Massey, while Keith Ward will take the manager reins and Michael Collins will return as his assistant.
Retired star Brian Grening will be the pitching coach and he will work with the Baystar players to help Canberra chase another Claxton Shield.
Mikami, 29, boasts an earned-run average of 2.99 after five seasons at the Baystars, while Kuniyoshi is a veteran of eights seasons and Imanaga is three years into his career.
"[Yokohama] did a tour of every facility and team of Australia last year. They came to Canberra twice and told the ABL if they were going to invest anywhere, they were going to come to Canberra," McMichael said.
"We've really finished our shopping for the roster. Brian Grening will be a part of the bull pen as well, so we're really lucky to have him on board.
"We'll have scouts from Japan, Taiwan and Korea coming to our games, so this is really going to provide a pathway for Australian guys. That's fantastic for us and for guys who want to come here to get their careers going.
"We've got a lot of interest in guys wanting to return to Canberra to play ... I think it's a statement in where we are. But in saying that, we've still got to complete it and go the next step. We have to win games."
CANBERRA CAVALRY SCHEDULE
Round 1: Cavalry v Melbourne Aces in Melbourne, November 15-18.
Round 2: Cavalry v Sydney Blue Sox in Sydney, November 22-25.
Round 3: Cavalry v Auckland in Auckland, November 29-December 2.
Round 4: Cavalry v Brisbane Bandits at Narrabundah Ballpark, December 6-9.
Round 5: Cavalry v Adelaide Bite in Adelaide, December 13-16.
Round 6: Cavalry v Geelong-Korea at Narrabundah Ballpark, December 20-23.
Round 7: Cavalry v Auckland at Narrabundah Ballpark, December 27-30.
Round 8: Cavalry v Sydney Blue Sox at Narrabundah Ballpark, January 3-6.
Round 9: Cavalry v Brisbane Bandits in Brisbane, January 10-13.
Round 10: Cavalry v Perth Heat at Narrabundah Ballpark, January 17-20.
Semi-finals: January 22-27.
Championship series: January 31-February 3.
