Milwaukee Brewers Sign Japanese Outfielder Norichika Aoki
Japanese outfielder Norichika Aoki has agreed to a two-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers with a club option for 2014. General manager Doug Melvin will not let the media know the terms of the contract until it is finalized which will most likely be some time later tonight.
The Brewers posted a $2.5 million fee last month for the negotiating rights to Aoki. Last weekend, Milwaukee hosted a 75-minute workout in which the Brewers were blown away by his performance.
“He’s a guy that’s had a lot of success in Japan,” said Melvin. “He’s won Gold Gloves, won batting titles, was an all-star. We think he can utilize those skills on our ballclub and give us some depth in the outfield. He can play all three outfield positions, preferably in center field, left field. He’s a usable player. He’s going to get an opportunity to play with his first experience in the United States. Spring training will give us a much better read of how he fits into the ball club.”
Aoki played from 2004-2011 for the Yakult Swallows in Nippon Professional Baseball Japanese league. His career statistics with the swallows are a .336 batting average, 664 runs, 1,284 hits, 192 doubles, 22 triples, 84 home runs, 385 RBI and 164 stolen bases in 985 games played. His statistics from 2011 are a .292 batting average, 73 runs, 18 doubles, five triples, four homers, 51 RBI and eight stolen bases in 583 at-bats.
If Ryan Braun’s 50-game suspension holds up for being positively tested for a banned substance, Aoki could see plenty of action in left field. According to Melvin, Aoki never asked about playing time and the Brewers made no guarantees on how much he would get.
Milwaukee is beginning to shape up nicely after the signing of relievers Francisco Rodriguez and Kameron Loe earlier today. With the acquisitions of Aoki, Aramis Ramirez and Alex Gonzalez and the resigning of several key players, the Brewers are primed to make another run at the division crown this season.
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