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.

In fact, Paul spent so much time on the farm in 2000, he qualified as the EL Triple Crown winner, compiling league-leading figures with a .353 batting average, 21 homers and 69 RBIs in only 270 plate appearances and 224 official at bats in 64 games. Those stats would project to 33 homers and 108 RBIs over the full 100-game Japanese minor-league season.

During his time with the parent Lions in 1999 and 2000, Paul has had moderate success, but there is an obvious difference between the pitching in the Eastern (minor) League and the Pacific circuit where, in 106 games over the two seasons, he's hit .251 with 16 HRs and 47 RBIs.

It was quite by accident, and some incredible timing, that the Chicago native happened to draw Seibu's attention.

Flash back to June of 1999 when the Lions were playing a mediocre brand of baseball and were not getting much production out of their two often-injured American position players, infielder Archi Cianfrocco and outfielder Greg Blosser, and the team sought to replace them.

Scouts looked in North America and got catcher-first baseman Alan Zinter but apparently could not find another suitable guy.

Meanwhile, Seibu rep Haruhiko Suzuki was sent to Taiwan to check out local pitcher Hsu Min Chieh who they eventually signed for the 2000 season. While there, Suzuki noticed Paul playing for the Taipei Suns (and hitting .360) and suggested the Lions try to purchase his contract. Soon he was on his way to Japan.

The Pacific League is the highest competitive level at which Paul has played. "I only made it to Single-A ball in the Seattle organization (in 1991), then actually quit for awhile to go back to school. Then they started up the (independent) Western League in 1995, and I told myself I had to try pro baseball again," he said prior to a recent exhibition game.

"I had always played ball as a kid; I was in three leagues and later played at Belmont High School in Los Angeles, so I couldn't give it up," he added. Whether he ever makes it to the majors remains to be seen, but he's happier playing in Japan than in Taiwan where conditions are not as good.

"They don't have domed stadiums (in Taiwan), and most of the parks have dirt infields and some dirt outfields, too, he said. And he doesn't seem to mind playing in Japan's minors all that much, despite the inconveniences, early wake-ups for day games and two-hour bus rides from the Lions' base in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, to Yokosuka in Kanagawa-ken, for example, to visit the Shonan Searex, the minor-league affiliate of the Yokohama BayStars.

"It's just a good opportunity here in Japan. There's a give-and-take to it all. We have shorter games (time wise, than the Pacific Leaguers) and we don't travel as far; basically we commute. On the farm, it's a lot simpler (life), but still you go about your work ethic, being prepared for the opportunity to come up (to the varsity), he said. The only real tough part is that morning wake-up, so you gotta go to bed (early) at night."

One benefit about his being the only Westerner on the farm club is the fact he's picked up some of the Japanese language. "I know a lot of words and phrases, but my grammar is horrible," admits Paul. He also lives by himself near the Seibu Dome complex, apart from the other Lions' American players who reside halfway between Seibu and downtown Tokyo, and he gets to practice his language skills with Japanese neighbors.

During the spring exhibition season through games of March 16, Paul has hit .280 and it remains to be seen if he'll be in the lineup (or on the bench) when the Lions host the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Pacific League regular-season opener on Saturday.

If not, he'll be going to bed early, getting up for the bus rides and doing his best on the farm. "If I do get sent down again this year, he said confidently, I'll just have fun playing there and win another batting title."

We're only six days from the 2001 Pacific League season openers on March 24 and 12 days from the Central League lidlifters. With that in mind, it's time for my annual call for fans predictions, and I'll run your picks if you will send them to me.

If you would like to participate, please list the six teams in each league in order of how you think they will finish this season and send them by fax to (0422) 21-9342 or e-mail to [email protected] with a deadline of noon on Saturday, March 24. Be sure to include your name and the town where you live.

The column will run on Sunday, April 1. In the meantime, the following are my own picks for coming season: