Japanese batter Yoshitomo Tsutsugo will join the San Francisco Giants Major League Spring Camp as an “invited player.”
The San Francisco Giants announced on Monday (Korea time) the names of 25 players who are not on the 40-man roster who will train at the big league camp. Among the infielders, Tsutsugo’s name is visible. Tsutsugo has signed a minor league contract with San Francisco and aims to enter the big league through spring camp.
Although he has not yet made his big league debut, the situation is different from Lee Jung-hoo, who was recognized by the San Francisco club as the main center fielder and top hitter.
Lee Jung-hoo, who challenged to advance to the Major League through the posting system (closed competitive bidding), signed a six-year $113 million (about 150.3 billion won) contract with San Francisco in December last year.
San Francisco has categorized Lee as a starting center fielder and is actively using him in marketing. San Francisco has its own camp in Scottsdale, Arizona, and its fielders will gather on Saturday and have official training from Sunday. Lee is already training in Arizona.
Tsutsugo, who became a big hitter representing the Japanese national team at the 2017 World Baseball Classic, advanced to the big league by signing a contract with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020. However, Tsutsugo failed to make a soft landing in the big league.
He played in 182 마카오카지노주소 Major League games as a member of the Tampa Bay, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Pittsburgh Pirates from 2020 to 2022, posting a batting average of 0.197, 18 homers, 75 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.630. He could not play in the big league at all in 2023, when he started the season wearing the Texas Rangers uniform.
Tsutsugo, who signed a minor league contract with San Francisco in August last year, rejected the Japanese professional baseball club’s offer to return, and remained in San Francisco as a minor leaguer this year.
Most of the players who joined the Major League camp as invited players will return to the Minor League in mid-March. Despite the “low probability,” he chose a rough path and challenged himself to re-enter the big league.