Philly Leader

The Philadelphia Phillies have announced the addition of Koyo Aoyagi, a former Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) All-Star, as a non-roster invitee for their upcoming Spring Training in Clearwater, Florida. Aoyagi, 31, will join the team on a Minor League contract with the potential to contribute either as a starter or reliever. The Phillies currently have one spot open in their bullpen.

Aoyagi has spent nine seasons in Japan's NPB, playing for the Hanshin Tigers. During his tenure, he achieved a record of 61 wins and 47 losses with an ERA of 3.08. He is known for his sidearm delivery and has completed six games and three shutouts. His achievements include being named an All-Star three times in 2019, 2021, and 2022.

Phillies assistant general manager Jorge Velandia expressed optimism about Aoyagi's role within the team: “We like him for his uniqueness,” Velandia said. “You don’t see many guys from the sidearm angle. He’s been a warrior in Japan... Just come and show us what you’ve got.”

Aoyagi employs a four-pitch mix featuring an 87-91 mph fastball, sweepy slider, split-changeup, and cutter. In NPB play, he has accumulated 647 strikeouts against 299 walks over 898⅓ innings pitched. Notably, he contributed significantly to Hanshin's victory in the 2023 Japan Series by starting Game 7 and delivering nearly five scoreless innings.

If successful in making it to Major League Baseball (MLB) this year, Aoyagi would become only the third Japanese player to join the Phillies roster after Tadahito Iguchi and So Taguchi.

In recent years, the Phillies have made efforts to sign prominent Japanese players such as Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki—all of whom opted for teams on the West Coast instead.

Despite this trend among top talents favoring other destinations than Philadelphia due largely due geographic preference or personal choice—the arrival of Koyo Aoyagi marks progress toward establishing stronger connections within Japanese baseball circles according Assistant General Manager Jorge Velandia: "It’s good for all parties," he noted regarding recruiting efforts abroad while acknowledging challenges securing key roster positions domestically amidst competitive pressures facing organizations across league today given unique pitching style represented through acquisition."