Over the years, foreign players on the 11 other teams in Japan besides the Yomiuri Giants have talked about the depth of the Giants and how good some of the Kyojin reserve players could be if the they played for another Central or Pacific League club.
"The Giants have second-line pitchers who could be the ace on our team," or, "They have position players on their bench or even on their farm team who could be regulars and maybe All-Stars if they played for us," are two typical comments heard often.
Now, one such player has been traded from the Giants to a Pa League squad, and it will be interesting to see if the change will lead to a permanent place in the starting lineup of his new team and possible stardom after 12 seasons as a Yomiuri first-team sub and second-team member.