After a robust first season in Nippon Skilled Baseball, Franmil Reyes is planning an encore, because the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters introduced that the slugger has signed a brand new contract with the crew for the 2025 season. Japanese media reviews from final weekend prompt that Reyes was probably to stick with the Fighters and the membership was ready to supply him a multi-year contract, however he’ll as a substitute return on a one-year deal.
In taking the one-year contract, Reyes would possibly nicely be retaining his choices open a few doable return to the majors subsequent winter, as one other large season in NPB would assist his case for a assured contract with a North American crew. Reyes hit .290/.348/.564 with 25 homers over 368 plate appearances this season, principally as a chosen hitter and with a handful of appearances at first base. This manufacturing helped the Fighers to a second-place end within the Pacific League after which a victory over the Chiba Lotte Marines within the first postseason spherical, although a sweep by the hands of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks denied the Fighters a spot within the Japan Sequence.
It was a wanted bounce-back season for Reyes after his MLB profession appeared to stall out after a pair of very tough seasons. Reyes hit solely .217/.268/.356 with 16 house runs over 538 PA with the Guardians, Cubs, and Royals in 2022-23, plus a stint within the Nationals’ farm system got here and went and not using a large league call-up.
Reyes hit a way more spectacular .260/.325/.503 with 92 homers in 1540 PA over his first 4 seasons within the majors, slugging 92 homers for San Diego and Cleveland. Although strikeouts have been all the time an enormous a part of his sport and his shaky protection indicated a DH-only future, Reyes nonetheless appeared to be on observe to be a three-true-outcomes kind of drive earlier than his sudden decline. Whereas Reyes was nonetheless making a whole lot of exhausting contact in 2022, his stroll price dropped off sharply and his strikeout price continued to rise.
Reyes continues to be solely 29 years previous, along with his thirtieth birthday developing in July. He might nicely pursue a 3rd act to his profession again within the large leagues within the wake of what appears to be a profitable second act in Japan, or maybe likes it sufficient in NPB to finally pursue a multi-year cope with the Fighters if he retains hitting.
