Hiroshima Releases Three Foreigners

I am guessing that at least LaRocca and Davey will be back in Japan with other teams.

I think this is rather interesting. I can see LaRocca seeing that he has an option for over $1 million, and he wasn't very healthy, but he still hit over .300 and hit almost 20 HR, so I would think he would be a nice pickup for a Pacific League team.

I can also see Rayborn because he was just way too inconsistent. Don't get me wrong, he had some really nice games, but he had some real stinkers as well. Maybe some team will rememeber the good ones and sign him, but I doubt it.

But the suprise to me is Davey. Are the Carp trying? Are you kidding me? This guy along with Kuroda were probably the best 1-2 punch in the league. He was 6-6 with a 2.98 ERA in 18 starts, and he probably should have won 10-12 games if it wasn't for the poor defense, lack of run support, as well as the bullpen not holding on to his wins late in the game. I thought he had a great season while recovering from shoulder surgery, and I was looking forward to him coming back. When it came down to it, he was our most consistent starter. Even moreso than Kuroda. Once he got a couple starts out of his way early in the year he was steady all year.

We are truly going to miss Tom and his fighting spirit. Let's just hope he goes to the Pacific League so he doesn't beat up on us all year. This is why we finished in 5th and 6th every year. Who is making these decisions?

Actually, the Carp need a lot of pitcher! Especially in the setup-man role. But the starting rotation also is not so good! This year we saw the Carp batters with more confidence than last year, like Maeda, Arai, etc. Only the problem is their pitcher ERA is too high.

According to Sponichi Annex, Yakult is interested in picking up Greg LaRocca. One of the things playing manager Atsuya Furuta is looking to do during the off-season is to strengthen the second base position, and Greg LaRocca already has 2 years of experience of playing the infield (1st/2nd) with Hiroshima.

Aren't they converting Aoki to second base?

- Aren't they converting Aoki to second base?

True, Aoki took some infield practice at second during the team's Autumn camp under the guidance of Atsuya Furuta, but if they sign LaRocca I'll bet Aoki will stay in center.