Although the start of his Japan career was truly forgettable, Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters third baseman Brandon Laird has not forgotten those who helped him get through it.
Laird was named the May winner of the Pacific League's Player of the Month Award on Tuesday, but despite hitting for power last season, it was anything but a given that he would still be with the Fighters in 2016.
"I was at an all-time low," Laird said Sunday about the start of his career here in the spring of 2015. "I didn't know what confidence was. But the team did great helping me get it back. They were patient with me, told me they believed in me. I was their guy at third base and I wasn't going anywhere.