when to expect Norichika Aoki in majors??

[head first slide]

I've followed the Japanese for my fantasy leagues.
The best way to get leads is to just keep plugging away till you can google something usable.
I've saved both Matsui's, Uehara and Fukudome. But there's no one out there writing on or for our benefit, unless they are making a buck.
You can go over careers and see who's at the 9 1/2 years for free agency, you can hope to find something on the Japanese player saying he'd like to play in the states, and you also have to determine whether the player can secure a regular job here. Fukudome and the initial Met's Matsui did not help much. Hideki was a find, and Uehara is still up in the air.
Either way, you have a 50/50 chance he signs in the league you compete in. But unlike a prospect...he's ready to go when he gets here and it's a quick payoff for someone smart enough to reserve the right guy.

[jeffmerk]

I've followed the Japanese for my fantasy leagues.
The best way to get leads is to just keep plugging away till you can google something usable.
I've saved both Matsui's, Uehara and Fukudome. But there's no one out there writing on or for our benefit, unless they are making a buck.
You can go over careers and see who's at the 9 1/2 years for free agency, you can hope to find something on the Japanese player saying he'd like to play in the states, and you also have to determine whether the player can secure a regular job here. Fukudome and the initial Met's Matsui did not help much. Hideki was a find, and Uehara is still up in the air.
Either way, you have a 50/50 chance he signs in the league you compete in. But unlike a prospect...he's ready to go when he gets here and it's a quick payoff for someone smart enough to reserve the right guy.

I wouldn't take a Japanese player before the $5 rounds of an Ultra reserve draft and at that salary, Fukudome and K. Matsui were useful.

[jeffmerk]

Yu Darvish P, Akihiro Higashide 2B, Hisanori Takahashi P, Naoyuki Shimizu P, Hitoki Iwase P, Tasuku Hashimoto C, Kuzumi Saitoh P, Hitoshi Tamura OF, Makoto Kaneko SS,Tomohiro Nioka SS, Koji Mitsui P, Tateyama Yoshinori P and Shingo Ono P are the possible crossovers I see mentioned but I don't have any ETA info.

Takahashi signed a minor league deal with the Mets. If he starts the year in the rotation, he's probably worth $7 or $8 in NL only 5x5.