The Canberra Cavalry will bank on a quartet of Japanese imports to bolster their bullpen when the Australian Baseball League starts next month after adding for Yokohama Baystars to their roster.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Cavalry has signed pitchers Shinichi Onuki, Kosuke Sakaguchi, Takamasa Kasai and Shingo Hirata for the 2019-20 season, with more players set to be unveiled in the coming weeks.
The Baystars four will join Steve Kent and Rhys Niit in the pitching rotation after the former Brisbane player signed a two-year deal to move to Canberra.
The Japanese connection is part of a partnership with the Baystars, who have sent players to the ABL since last year to give their players extra experience.
Hirata is a 30-year-old veteran of six seasons, Onuki was the No. 3 draft pick last year and Sakaguchi is a highly-rated 20-year-old who made his Yokohama debut this season.
"The guys we got from the Baystars last year were well beyond our expectations," said Cavalry general manager Dan Amodio.
"This year they're sending out guys of a different profile - some of their real up and coming prospects.
"It's a really good sign and commitment that they have for the partnership. In a lot of ways it's not the star power of last year, but they obviously feel comfortable sending prospects to Australia and they see this is a big part of their growth.
"That's what we want - guys who can step forward and we can help them do that. They'll all fit really nicely into the Cavs."
Onuki will arrive for pre-season training and play the entire year, Sakaguchi will stay in Canberra until the end of round five, Kasia until the end of round eight and Hirata will arrive in week four and stay for the remainder of the season.
The partnership also led to Kent, who signed a three-year Cavalry deal in February, joining the Baystars for spring training.
Kent, Robbie Perkins, Dushan Ruzic and David Kandilas have been named on the Australian roster to play in the Premier12 tournament in South Korea in November.
The Cavalry will start its regular season with a series against the Melbourne Aces at Narrabundah from November 21-24.