Call this the year of the recycled foreign player in Japanese baseball.

To date, the 12 Central and Pacific League teams have, for the 2006 season, signed 10 non-Japanese players who previously played for one or more other Japanese clubs.

One guy, Jose Fernandez, will be playing for his third team in Japan. The third baseman spent a year with the Chiba Lotte Marines, two with the Seibu Lions and will now work for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Two others will be returning to this country after being away for a year or two.

Ex-Marines (2003) infielder Rick Short is coming back to play for Rakuten, and 2003-04 Yakult Swallows pitcher Jason Beverlin will try it again in the CL, this time with the Yokohama BayStars.

Beverlin is of particular interest because he was an all-star two years ago with the Swallows. Then his arm went out toward the end of that summer of '04, and it appeared his career might be over at 30.

But Tommy John surgery, an impressive tryout and the willingness by the BayStars to give him another chance may extend his career another four or five years, according one of Jason's biggest fans, his father Dave Beverlin.

Writing in an e-mail, the elder Beverlin said about his boy, "Jason has a quiet confidence. His surgery was done in Alabama by Dr. James Andrews, considered one of the top surgeons in the world for that kind of thing."

Commenting on the Tommy John surgery, which requires transplanting a tendon from a pitcher's non-throwing arm to his damaged working wing, Dave Beverlin pointed out the operation "has a better than 90 percent success rate, and most pitchers actually improve their performance over that prior to surgery."

He listed John Smoltz, Eric Gagne and Darren Dreifort among several major league pitchers who were better after the operation than before.

Tommy John himself, after having the then-experimental procedure performed on him by Dr. Frank Jobe in 1974 while with the Los Angeles Dodgers, went on to win 170 major league games with his reconstructed flipper.

Notable Japanese pitchers who got a new lease on life are former Lotte Orions right-hander Choji Murata and Yomiuri Giants favorite Masumi Kuwata.

Murata had the TJ surgery in 1984 and came back to post a brilliant 17-5 record in 1985 with his bionic arm.

He won 59 of his career 215 victories after having his ability restored by Jobe's knife and still, at age 56, Murata likes to show off his 140-kph fastball while pitching in old-timers' games.

Kuwata's arm was damaged in 1995 while diving for a popped-up bunt, and he missed the entire 1996 campaign while rehabbing from the Tommy John surgery. Kuwata and his rebuilt elbow turned in a 10-7 record in 1997, and they went 16-5 in 1998.

Expecting his son to make an equally dramatic comeback, Dave Beverlin says, "Jason has worked very hard since the surgery. He has followed a very strict routine, and his recent workouts in Japan were extremely successful. (His fastball) was clocked at 94 miles per hour, and his off-speed pitches were sharp. I saw the (video) tape.

"He is in terrific physical shape. He looks as though he could play tight end for an NFL team and truly believes, at 32 years of age, he can play another four or five years. Of course, I am his father and, in spring training, hope springs eternal. But I believe Yokohama has a very talented team, and Jason will be a valuable addition."

We'll see what happens, but I agree the BayStars made a wise decision in offering Beverlin a spot on the roster. He's already made the adjustment to Japan and knows exactly what he's getting into.

Press reports said Jason signed for about $300,000, and if he can put up numbers anywhere near the statistics compiled post-surgery by Murata and Kuwata, he will be one of the best bargains in the history of Japanese baseball.

Now, if Yokohama can come up with a couple of productive foreign position players to join Beverlin and closer Marc Kroon, there is no reason why the 'Stars should not be pennant contenders in the 2006 CL race. Young manager Kazuhiko Ushijima led the club to an unexpected third place finish in 2005, and it appears he can better this time around.

Spring training camps open here on Wednesday, Feb. 1, and here are the dates and sites for the 12 Japanese pro clubs:

Chiba Lotte Marines -- Feb. 1-14 at Geelong, Australia; Feb. 17-24 at Kagoshima in south Kyushu.

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks -- Feb. 1-24 at Miyazaki, south Kyushu.

Seibu Lions -- Feb. 1-25 in Nango, Miyazaki Prefecture.

Orix Buffaloes -- Feb. 1-23 at Miyakojima, Okinawa; Feb. 24-March 1 at Kochi, Shikoku Island.

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters -- Feb. 1-27 at Nago, Okinawa.

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles -- Feb. 1-24 on Kumejima Island, Okinawa.

Hanshin Tigers -- Feb. 1-19 at Ginoza, Okinawa; Feb. 21-March 2 at Aki, Kochi Prefecture.

Chunichi Dragons -- Feb. 1-27 at Chatan, Okinawa.

Yokohama BayStars -- Feb. 1-26 at Ginowan, Okinawa.

Tokyo Yakult Swallows -- Feb. 1-March 3 at Urasoe, Okinawa.

Yomiuri Giants -- Feb. 1-26 at Miyazaki.

Hiroshima Carp -- Feb. 1-12 at Okinawa; Feb. 14-27 at Nichinan, Miyazaki Prefecture.