Agbayani could
reunite with
Valentine ... in JapanThe Saint Louis and
HPU alum will try out
for the Chiba Lotte Marines
When former New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine signed on to serve a second tour of duty with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan, he told fans there that he was back to take care of some "unfinished business."
Who better to help take care of that business than the man who helped him win his only league title?
Valentine called former Saint Louis School and Hawaii Pacific University standout Benny Agbayani, offering him a tryout with the team. Agbayani leaves Honolulu on Monday and expects to work out for Valentine on Wednesday.
"He called me as soon as he got the job," Agbayani said. "He knew I was looking for a job and gave me an opportunity."
Agbayani played for Valentine, who took the Marines to second place before leaving to manage the Mets, for parts of four seasons in New York, helping the manager get to his first and only World Series in 2000. He began that season with a 12th-inning blast for the Mets against the Cubs in the Tokyo Dome, making his a familiar name in Japan.
Agbayani, 31, has since played in the Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals systems, hitting .237 with 16 home runs in 88 games for the Triple-A Omaha Royals last year. Although he has been forgotten by major league clubs, Agbayani hopes a good showing in Japan -- if he signs a contract -- would lead to another job in the big leagues. If not, he is content just playing ball.
"I hope it's a fit for me and my family," Agbayani said. "I'm not a 21-year-old prospect any more, I've got to think of my family."
Although Agbayani has such a good relationship with the man who called him up to the majors after a long minor league career, he is not looking for any favors. Agbayani says he will try to earn the job on his own merits. The 12 teams in Japan are restricted to three foreign players as long as one of them is a pitcher. Agbayani is the only foreigner asked to work out for Valentine so far. The former ESPN Baseball Tonight analyst has also expressed interest in former players Hideki Irabu and Tsuyoshi Shinjo.
The Marines finished last season counting Jose Fernandez, Rick Short and Nate Minchey as its foreign players. Fernandez and Short each hit over .300 and made more than $380,000. Minchey earned $1.8 million for winning 14 games for the Marines, who finished in fourth place last year.
"I wouldn't say it's just a formality," Agbayani said. "But I am pretty confident."
