Francisco Caraballo may know as much about Japan's baseball back roads as anyone, and armed with that experience, the big Venezuelan is making the most of a second chance with the Orix Buffaloes.

As of Tuesday's games, Caraballo was batting .291 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in 55 at-bats.

In 2010, Orix made Caraballo the first foreign player to make the jump from Japan's independent leagues to Nippon Professional Baseball. He told Kyodo News the initial adjustment to Japan was almost too much for him in the Kyushu Island League in 2009. He got help though, from countryman Alex Ramirez, who was then en route to a second straight Central League MVP award with the Yomiuri Giants.