sports
Venezuelans are already getting experience ahead of the season in Japan
Last weekend, spring training for Japanese Professional Baseball (NPB) began in the prefectures of Okinawa and Miyazaki. A total of eight Venezuelans were present; among them four debutants, all led by José Osuna, who is approaching his sixth season in Japanese baseball with the Yakult Swallows.
TL;DR
- Eight Venezuelan players began preseason training for Japanese Professional Baseball (NPB) last weekend.
- Four Venezuelan players are making their NPB debut: José Quijada (Yakult Swallows), José Gregorio Castillo (Chiba-Lotte Marines), José Ruiz (DeNA BayStars), and Bryan Mata (Yomiuri Giants).
- José Osuna aims to improve his offensive averages and contribute to the Yakult Swallows after a previous season with lower stats.
- Osuna is close to reaching career milestones in hits, RBIs, and home runs in NPB.
- Andrés Machado had a successful 2025 season with the Orix Buffaloes, recording the second-most saves in the Pacific League.
- Darwinzon Hernandez was a key player in the SoftBank Hawks' bullpen during the 2025 postseason with a solid ERA.
- Anderson Espinoza seeks to solidify his spot in Orix's starting rotation, showing promise when healthy in 2025.