Former Padres, Rays and Reds first baseman/outfielder Brian O’Grady has signed with the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball, per announcements from both the Lions and from O’Grady himself (Twitter link).
O’Grady, 29, became a free agent after being outrighted off San Diego’s roster at season’s end. The 2014 eighth-round pick (Reds) saw a career-high 61 plate appearances with the Friars in 2021, frequently operating as a pinch-hitter but also drawing a handful of starts in right field. O’Grady hit .157/.267/.333 with a pair of homers, three doubles and eight walks (13.1%).
The limited role wasn’t entirely new for O’Grady, who also saw action with the Reds in 2019 and Rays in 2020 without ever receiving an opportunity at consistent playing time. He’s a career .184/.283/.388 hitter in 114 Major League plate appearances — but those plate appearances have come over the course of 62 games.
O’Grady figures to be afforded far more opportunities in Japan, and given his career .284/.362/.551 batting line in 978 plate appearances at the Triple-A level, there’s good reason to believe he’ll find success overseas. Regardless of how he performs, he’ll quite likely be paid a guaranteed salary that handily eclipses what he’d have made in another season split between Triple-A and the big leagues. A strong season in Japan could either position O’Grady for a raise on a new contract in NPB or the KBO, and success in a foreign professional league could also prime him to return to MLB on a guaranteed contract at some point down the line.
Ok…
Who????
Brian O’Grady, reading is not that hard if you apply yourself.
Just like understanding his point was not that hard, you know, if you apply yourself.
Yet again those who apply themselves to comprehend and inform those who apply themselves of being mindful of intent is disinglorious if that’s a word which it ain’t, as if.
Mike Jones. Mike Jones. He got lotta haters and a lot of homies. Some are fake, some are phony.
Might as well cancel the season now.
Oh. Right.
Surprised the Padres let him go with that AAA line; they have like one and a half outfielders on their major league roster.
He was on a guaranteed contract w the Pads.
The article says he was a free agent as of the end of the season.
Was.
O-Grady-san hits big fly.
American Association will be waiting for his return from Japan.
This guy has regularly been on the bubble in being a solid MLBer, and not likely to see a lot of time on a ML roster this year. So good for him for getting paid to play every day on Seibu
“Grady? Whose he?” -Rickey Henderson
Greatest Rickey Henderson story ever is the one John Olerud tells about when Rickey joined the Mariners and went to John and asked him about the helmet and after Olerud explained it to him Rickey told him “Man, i played with someone like that in New York” to which Olerud replied “Yeah Rickey, that was me”
What makes that an even funnier story (and sort of tells you Rickey only remembers Rickey) is that the Mariners were the third team Henderson and Olerud played together on
In June 1999, when Henderson was playing with the Mets, he saw reporters running around the clubhouse before a game. He asked a teammate what was going on and he was told that Tom Robson, the team’s hitting coach, had just been fired. Henderson said, “Robson? Who’s he?”
Who are Ben an woods going to interview on st patty’s day now?!
Nice signing for the Lions. Would have liked to see him with Yomiuri, though.
“Seibu, say me… say it for always, that’s the way it should be”
Very nice
Good news for a regular, old fashioned guy.. His mom, Rosie, is happy for him.
Grady O’Brian