Alex Ramirez, the only foreign-born player with 2,000 hits in Nippon Professional Baseball history said Thursday he will sign with the Gunma Diamond Pegasus of the independent Baseball Challenge League.
Ramirez, who was released by the Yokohama BayStars last fall after spending much of the 2013 season in the minor league, told Kyodo News by telephone, "I'm so happy to have this opportunity to show these people, show NPB teams I can still play."
Salaries in the six-team circuit are capped at ¥400,000 a month, a tiny fraction of what Ramirez, a two-time Central League MVP earned in his days with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, Yomiuri Giants and BayStars. The team has also asked Ramirez to help out as a batting coach as well.