Independent Leaguer to be selected by NPB one after another...Why can't Shirakawa give up his NPB dream

Independent Leaguer to be selected by NPB one after another...Why can't Shirakawa give up his NPB dream

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SSG Landers has made a choice. And now Keisho Shirakawa has to make a choice. Shirakawa's dream is to eventually enter the Japanese professional baseball league. And now, players from the Japanese independent league are signing contracts with NPB clubs one after another.밤알바

On the 2nd, professional baseball SSG announced the return of existing foreign player Roenis Elias to the injured list, announcing that it would terminate the contract of Japanese pitcher Keisho Shirakawa, who joined as a short-term alternative foreign player.

The club announced, "We checked the physical condition and skills of the existing foreign pitcher Roenis Elias through his six-week rehabilitation period and two Futures appearances, and decided that he was more competitive in strengthening the starting lineup in the second half, including the advantages of left-handers and abundant starting experience."

Shirakawa became the first person to be eligible for the new short-term replacement foreign player system from this year. Elias, an existing foreign player, was diagnosed with an internal oblique muscle injury for six weeks and joined as a substitute.
Shirakawa was on the radar of SSG as he played the ace role for the Tokushima Indigo Sox of the Shikoku Island League, Japan's independent league. He had four wins and one loss with a 2.32 ERA in seven games and 35 strikeouts in 31 innings in this year's league. Although he is an independent league, he has decided that his pitching at over 150 kilometers is competitive enough, and Shirakawa has decided to take on a new challenge in Korea.

Although the game was short-lived, Shirakawa showed off his talents to the fullest during the five games. He had two wins and two losses with an ERA of 5.09 (13 earned runs in 23 innings), 27 strikeouts and nine walks in games. Except for the game against Sajik Lotte (eight earned runs in one ⅓ inning, seven earned runs) on June 7, the team finished the game within three earned runs in total. Excluding the game against Lotte, his earned run average (six earned runs in 21 ⅔ innings), his earned run average (six earned runs in 21 innings).

It may not be considered the best performance, but he joined as a substitute and showed his best performance. That's why SSG also agonized until the last minute. Inside the club, opinions were divided 50-50 over Shirakawa and Elias. Although the development continued differently from the original, SSG highly evaluated Shirakawa.

SSG has made a decision, and Shirakawa also has a time to agonize over the issue. Initially, Shirakawa would take the mound against KT on April 27. At that time, he had nine hits (one homer) and five strikeouts (three earned runs) in five ⅓ innings.
However, the situation of foreign players in the KBO League is changing rapidly. As foreign pitcher Brandon Waddell of the Doosan Bears was diagnosed with damage to the shoulder of his left leg, he was re-examined three weeks later. Eventually, he thought about short-term replacement players, Shirakawa, and Yokishi, who was kicked out due to left adductor muscle injury in the middle of last year, are both considering about being a top player with a record of 56 wins, 36 losses and 2.85 ERA in 130 games over the past five years.

First of all, Doosan called Yokishi to check for himself. He entered the country on the 29th and immediately pitched live in Icheon on the 30th. He will take a second test with live pitching on the 3rd. If Shirakawa goes through the waivers disclosure process on the 3rd, the team that is willing to recruit for a week can choose in the reverse order of the results as of the disclosure date.

"I checked through an article that Shirakawa came out, and who would be better (out of the two)?" Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop said with a smile, explaining Shirakawa's strength, saying, "I don't need a visa. I have no problem in terms of my sense of play in the game, and I have already adjusted because I played in the Korean professional baseball for more than a month."

"But we don't have priority. Other teams may be interested during the week of waivers. We have to wait and see for a week."

Of course, Shirakawa's intention is also important. Shirakawa still has the will to challenge himself in the Japanese professional baseball league. Tokushima, Shirakawa's original team, also expressed its commitment to fully respect Shirakawa's decision. "The Japanese professional baseball is a dream that I have had since childhood. It is not a matter that I can decide by myself. I made the decision after discussing it with the owner, owner, and agent of my original team (Tokushima Indigo Sox). I can't say for now."

To Shirakawa, the Japanese professional baseball team was beyond reach. After graduating from Ikeda High School, he entered the 2019 draft, but failed to draw attention due to his slow pitching. After joining Tokushima in late 2019, he once again appealed to Japanese professional baseball teams by raising his ball speed by about 10 kilometers, but expressed doubts about his ball control that has yet to be resolved.

However, players from independent leagues are showing increasing interest. For now, Niigata Albirex of the BC League, a representative independent Japanese league along with the Shikoku Island League, has joined the Eastern League, a second-tier Japanese professional baseball league, starting this year. The independent league has now begun to be incorporated into the system.

Previously, Tokushima had many Japanese pro teams, but the atmosphere seems to have changed from the past. Recently, pro teams from independent leagues have been called upon by professional teams in succession.
Nakagawa Takuma, the catcher of the Kyushu Asian League's Hinokuni Salamanders, has signed with the Yakult Swallows. Nakagawa joined the Orix Buffaloes in 2020, but was notified outside of his team's roster last year. In this year's Kyushu Asian League, he had 298 hits, two homers and 15 RBIs. "Yakurt continues to leave the catcher's team this season," said RK Kumamoto, explaining the reason for Nakagawa's transfer.

In addition, Andy Martin, the younger brother of Leonys Martin, who played for Chiba Lotte for four seasons in the past and was also a teammate of Choo Shin-soo during his time with the Texas Rangers, signed a contract with Chiba Lotte as a nurturing player.