One year ago, outfielder Tetsuya Matsumoto appeared in just three games for the Yomiuri Giants. Pitcher Wirfin Obispo wasn't even a real member of the team.
Yet both played a big role in the club's most recent Japan Series victory, rising from relative obscurity to shine on the NPB's biggest stage.
They are the byproducts of the Giants' laudable recent use of the NPB's ikusei system.