Hoping to make the Seibu Lions' opening day roster is Corey Paul, a third-year-in-Japan American outfielder who also happens to be the third foreign position player on the team's roster. He's competing with teammates Alex Cabrera and Scott McClain in a system where non-Japanese player quotas allow each team to register a maximum of two gaikokujin position players on its varsity roster at any given time during the regular season.
First baseman Cabrera has looked pretty good during the exhibition season, but McClain has been sidelined with a rib cage injury and may not be ready for that super-early season opener next Saturday, thus giving Paul a possible advantage toward making the big team and avoiding demotion to the farm team again.
The 32-year-old lefty hitter is no stranger to the Eastern League Lions; he was the odd man out last season when the Lions had Reggie Jefferson and major league veteran Tony Fernandez.