shared nickname (that charlie manuel question again...) (answered)

[Arlo]

In Japan, Charlie Manuel was given the nickname Red Devil. Which other American slugger bore this nickname during his days in Japan?

[Bennyy22]

willie wells? if its not, can you give us a hint

[Arlo]

Not Wells, but here's a hint: when this player signed with a Japanese team, the $2 million salary he signed for was the highest in Japanese history...

[jwhands]

Cecil Fielder?

[goody1313]

randy Bass

[Arlo]

Both good guesses, but this player arrived in Japan quite a bit earlier than Fielder, and just a few years after Bass (but with decidedly more hoopla)...

[jwhands]

Tom Selleck??? That was such a lame movie.

[Arlo]

Sorry, this is a real player. Incidentally, the reason he received such a high salary was because this was essentially the first time that a player of his caliber had gone to Japan while still in his prime...

[metsfan1969]

Could it be Steve Ontiveros? Couldn't be Greg "Boomer" Wells because they called him Boomer, right? I don't know crap about Japanese baseball....guess I should learn something about it .

[Arlo]

Not Ontiveros, either... This player reached the 30 home run mark three times in the majors, and left for Japan after two solid seasons where he just missed that mark after no major league club met his salary demands as a free agent.