Former Seattle Mariners Infielder Will Compete For Japan in Caribbean Series
The Seattle Mariners have two weeks until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training on Feb. 12. But in the interim, several Mariners players of past and present will compete in the final leg of winter baseball when the Caribbean Series starts on Jan. 31.
Many current and former Seattle players have already had standout moments in the Dominican Championship League Series. Former 2018 All-Star Jean Segura and pitching prospect Carlos Vargas faced off in Game 7 of the championship series.
Another former Mariners player will represent Japan during the Caribbean Series.
Munenori Kawasaki will play for Japan in the Caribbean Series. The other countries in the Caribbean Series are the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.
Kawasaki originally signed with Seattle on a minor league contract after an 11-year stint in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Kawasaki played 61 games for the Mariners in 2012 and hit .192 with seven RBIs. He was released by Seattle after the season and went on to play four more seasons in the majors — three with the Toronto Blue Jays and one with the Chicago Cubs.
Kawasaki's best major league season came in 2014 where he hit .258 with seven doubles, one triple and 17 RBIs in 82 games played.
Munenori Kawasaki is playing for Japan Breeze in the Caribbean Series https://t.co/sYKovjJfny
— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) January 29, 2025
Kawasaki returned overseas after his time in the major leagues was done and played one more season SoftBank Hawks before heading to the Chinese Professional Baseball League to play for the Wei Chuan Dragons in 2019.
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