A Happy New Year to all readers of The Japan Times and the Baseball Bullet-in.

Spring training for Japan's 12 pro baseball teams begins a mere 23 days from now, as the Central and Pacific League clubs break camp Feb. 1 in Shikoku, Okinawa and southern Kyushu, the local versions of Florida and Arizona.

One big rule change this year is the decision to allow four foreign players on the field during Japanese games. Each team's varsity roster will still be limited to four aliens registered at any given time but, besides the option of two non-Japanese position players and two pitchers, teams can now choose to list three position players and one pitcher or one fielder and three pitchers.

So, you might see a team's batting order stocked with an all-foreign "cleanup trio" (the Nos. 3, 4 and 5 hitters in the lineup), or you could look across a team's outfield defensive alignment and perhaps see nothing but foreigners from left to right.

Just how each team plans to take advantage of the loosened restrictions remains to be seen, but following is a team-by-team recap of who's back, who's gone and who's new among foreign players so far for the 2002 season.

The defending CL and Japan Series champion Yakult Swallows are certainly keeping MVP first baseman Roberto Petagine, outfielder Alex Ramirez and pitchers Alan Newman and Kevin Hodges. Hurler Jonathan Hurst was released, and no newcomers have been signed as yet. Three Brazilian-Japanese players will continue to develop on the Yakult farm team: pitcher Rodrigo Miyamoto, infielder Leonardo Sato and outfielder Daniel Matsumoto.

The Yomiuri Giants have said goodbye to pitcher Darrell May and first baseman Domingo Martinez, and pitcher Chong Min Chul is going home to Korea. Tokyo will retain Korean pitchers Cho Sung Min and Chung Min Tae. Dominican fireballer Hector Almonte, picked up at midseason last year, will be given another chance. The Kyojin are expected to sign an American pitcher (John Wasdin leads the rumor parade) and at least one position player.

Yokohama's BayStars have kept one foreigner, discarded four and signed a quartet of newbies. Staying is pitcher Shane Bowers. Dropped were pitcher Mark Holzemer, infielders Jon Zuber and Dave Doster and outfielder Anthony Sanders. The freshmen are infielder Mike Gulan, outfielder Boi Rodriguez and pitchers Domingo Guzman and Jason Turman.

The Hiroshima Carp's hot-hitting infield tandem of Luis Lopez and Eddy Diaz will be back, as will relief pitcher Erik Schullstrom. Gone are moundsmen Eric Ludwick and Tim Young, and Dominican farmhand infielder Angel Brito. To be welcomed to Hiroshima are pitchers Rigo Beltran and Rob Stanifer.

Slugging third baseman Leo Gomez will be back with the Chunichi Dragons, as will pitchers Mel Bunch and Eddie Gaillard. Outfielder Ozzie Timmons was canned in favor of outfielder Scott Bullett. Chinese pitcher Tsao Chun Yang remains with the Dragons farm club.

The Hanshin Tigers, cleaning house after the ousting of the Katsuya Nomura "regime," will keep infielder Tom Evans and pitchers Greg Hansell and Buddy Carlyle and have acquired infielder George Arias from the Orix BlueWave. Also joining is pitcher Trey Moore. Given walking papers were infielders Ivan Cruz and Eduardo Perez.

In the Pacific League, the champ Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes will of course bring back MVP Tuffy Rhodes for another shot at the Japan single-season home run record, and the Buffs are keeping pitchers Sean Bergman and Jeremy Powell after all. Shortstop Shawn Gilbert has been fired, as has pitcher Narciso Elvira. At least one more foreign position player is likely to be acquired.

Fukuoka's Daiei Hawks are keeping outfielder Pedro Valdes and pitchers Rod Pedraza and Brady Raggio, but gone are outfielder Tony Mitchell and hurlers Chris Haney and Matt Randel. New hires are first baseman Morgan Burkhart and pitcher Carlos Castillo.

The Seibu Lions will go again with slugging infielders Alex Cabrera and Scott McClain and Taiwanese pitcher Hsu Ming-chie but have dropped the Eastern (minor) League Triple Crown winner, outfielder Corey Paul. Pitcher Miguel Del Toro was killed in a car crash in Mexico the day after he was released last October. The Lions will no doubt sign another gaikokujin player or two.

The Orix BlueWave lost Arias to Hanshin and released designated-hitter Joe Vitiello and pitcher Carlos Pulido. Being retained are pitchers Ed Yarnall and Korean Koo Dae Sung, and newly signed is Panamanian infielder Fernando Seguignol and a pitcher from Taiwan, Yu Weng-ping. Reports say Orix wants infielder Scott Sheldon from the Texas Rangers.

The lineup of the Chiba Lotte Marines will again feature sluggers Frank Bolick and Derrick May. Pitchers Nate Minchey and Brian Sikorski are back, but the name of Jeff Kubena has been erased from the mound corps. So far, the Marines have not enlisted any new foreign guys for 2002.

Finally, the rebuilding Nippon Ham Fighters are keeping outfielder Sherman Obando and pitcher Carlos Mirabal, who may be converted from the closer role to a starter. Gone are Canadian favorite but often-injured DH Nigel Wilson and pitchers Kevin Ohme and Scott Sanders. Taking their respective places will be outfielder D.T. Cromer and hurlers Pat Flury and Chris Seelbach.

Orix's American bullpen coach Roger Hansen will apparently not be back, and that team has a new manager, Hiromichi Ishige, who takes over for Akira Ogi. Other managerial changes are Haruki Ihara in for Osamu Higashio at Seibu, Tatsunori Hara succeeding "Mr. Giants" Shigeo Nagashima with Yomiuri, Hisashi Yamada taking over for Senichi Hoshino at Chunichi, and Hoshino assuming the Hanshin job vacated by Nomura, forced to resign following the arrest of his wife Sachi on tax-evasion charges.

All 12 teams hit camp three weeks from Friday, with the Lions, Tigers and Hawks at Kochi; the Giants and Buffaloes in Miyazaki; the Marines in Kagoshima; and the Swallows, BayStars, Carp, Dragons, BlueWave and Fighters in Okinawa.