Former MVP Kevin Mitchell Latest to Grab Ball, Bat and Head to Japan
Kevin Mitchell, the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1989, has decided to play in Japan because of the baseball strike, his agent said Wednesday.
Agent Joe Sroba told the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch that Mitchell will sign a one-year contract with the Daiei Hawks of Japan’s Pacific League.
Major leaguers Shane Mack, Julio Franco, Darrin Jackson and Pete Incaviglia signed with Japanese teams earlier.
Sroba said Mitchell’s deal “absolutely dwarfs anything that’s been done before in Japanese baseball for an American or Japanese player.” He would not disclose specific terms.
In last year’s strike-shortened season, Mitchell, 33, played for Cincinnati. He hit .326 with 30 home runs and 77 runs batted in.
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