The last two seasons Colby Lewis and Ryan Vogelsong each made a big splash upon reentry to the MLB after playing in Japan. Will gold be struck again next season? I offer six possible candidates that are currently in Japan and could return given the opportunity.
Bobby Keppel is a RHP for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. This season he is 9-2 with a 2.90 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 87 innings. He was originally drafted by the New York Mets with the 36th pick of the first round in 2000. He spent six seasons in the Mets minor league system before being released in 2005. He signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals and did spend some time pitching in Kansas City in 2006 getting six starts going 0-4 with a 5.50 ERA. He spent some time in the Rockies bullpen in 2007 and the Twins bullpen in 2009 before moving over to Japan in 2010. In 2010 for the Ham Fighters he was 12-8 with a 3.35 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 158.2 innings.
Brian Wolfe is a RHP who also pitches for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. This season he is 7-3 with a 2.63 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 78.2 innings. He was originally drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the sixth round in 1999. He spent nine years in the minors in the Twins, Brewers and Blue Jays organizations before landing various stints in the Blue Jays bullpen 2007 to 2009 when he amassed a 5-5 record with a 3.81 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 82.2 innings. He moved to Japan in 2010 and spent the season in the Ham Fighters bullpen going 4-3 with a 3.03 ERA, 24 strikeouts and 3 saves in 62.1 innings.
Dennis Sean Houlton is a RHP who pitches for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. This season he is 10-3 with a 2.13 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 84.1 innings. He was originally drafted by the Houston Astros in the 11th round in 2001. He spent four years in the minor league system when he was drafted by the Dodgers in the Rule 5 or minor league draft in December 2004. He spent the entire 2005 season in the Majors with the Dodgers getting 19 starts in addition to time in the bullpen and went 6-9 with a 5.16 ERA and 90 strikeout in 129 innings. He spent all of 2006 in the minors and was called up to the Dodgers in 2007 to spend time in the bullpen and in 18 appearances he was 0-2 with a 4.18 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 28 innings. In 2008 his contract was purchased by the Hawks and he split time starting and in the bullpen going 4-7 with a 4.27 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 84.1 innings. In 2009 he started full time and had his breakout season going 11-8 with a 2.89 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 171 innings. He followed up in 2010 with a 8-6 record with a 5.70 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 79 innings.
Alfredo Figaro is a RHP who pitches for the Orix Buffaloes. This season he is 5-4 with a 2.80 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 80.1 innings. He originally signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 2004. He was released and signed the next season with the Detroit Tigers and spent four season in the minors before getting short stints in Detroit both starting and in the bullpen in 2009 and 2010. In 13 games that included four starts he went 2-4 with a 6.54 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 31.2 innings. He was released by the Tigers in December 2010 and then landed in Japan.
Jason Standridge is a RHP who pitches for the Hanshin Tigers. This season he is 6-2 with a 2.18 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 78.1 innings. He was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 31st pick of the first round in 1997. He spent five seasons in the Minors before his first call up with the Rays in 2001 and spent the next four season bouncing between the minors and Tampa Bay. In Tampa Bay he split time between starting and the bullpen and over 21 games which included nine starts he was 0-5 over those four seasons. Between 2005 to 2007 he spent time in the Red, Rangers and Royals bullpens. He then had his first stint in Japan in 2008 in the Fukuoka Hawks bullpen then returned to the U.S. for a short stint with the Florida Marlins triple A team before being cut. He returned to Japan to play with the Tigers in 2010 where he went 11-5 with a 3.49 ERA and 98 strikeouts over 126.1 innings.
Bryan Bullington is a RHP who pitches for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. This season he is 9-4 with a 2.06 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 104.2 innings. He was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the first pick in the first round in 2002. His initial rise through the minors was fairly quick in three seasons going 34-17 before a late season call up in 2005. He pitched in one game before injuring his arm and missed the entire 2006 season after Tommy John surgery. Since his return he has bounced between the majors and minors while spending time with the Pirates, Indians, Blue Jays and Royals. He struggled while in Kansas City in 2010 going 1-4 with a 6.12 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 42.2 innings but showed improvement in Triple A Omaha where he spent most of the second half and was 8-2 with a 2.82 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 102 innings. After the season he was released by the Royals in November 2010 which led him to pursue his options in Japan.
One wild card in the mix is Maximo Nelson of the Chunichi Dragons. He had been a highly touted New York Yankees prospect before he was caught up in a marriage scandal and is currently barred from playing in the United States. If those issues can ever be worked out then he could be another to make the leap from Japan back to the U.S.
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