In positive news for the best Cuban hitter of 2023 in the Nippon Professional Baseball League came this weekend when it came to light that Ariel Martínez will once again be wearing the colors of the Nippon-ham Fighters in the upcoming season.
Without a doubt, the native of Matanzas, Cuba best performance in the land of the rising sun was with the Fighters squad last season, where he established personal bests in most of the offensive categories.
Previously, Ariel spent three seasons with the Chunichi Dragons, the team with which he debuted in the NPB. For the first time in his career he surpassed 100 games played on the Japanese circuit last season by seeing action 119 contests.
In MLB, a record number of Cuban players were in this year’s All-Star Game.
On the other side of the world in NPB, the Cubans are thriving as well:
Here is Raidel & Ariel Martínez, Cuba teammates in the WBC, meeting up before the NPB All-Star Game. 🇨🇺
— Shawn Spradling (@Shawn_Spradling) July 19, 2023
Last season was his best year in terms of home runs with 15 and RBIs with 66, more than 40 above his 2022 mark. Last season he spent almost the entire campaign as a catcher and he was even selected for the All-Star Series.
“I am happy to be able to return with my Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters teammates for the 2024 season.”I have a strong desire to tenaciously challenge the competition with everyone, with the goal of being the best in Japan. “I am very happy to be able to play for the Fighters again next season,” Ariel Martínez expressed to the Japanese press.
Martínez has managed to exploit his offensive potential to its maximum in 2023, especially in his production of runs and extra-base hits. He has made himself a key bat with Nippon-Ham and figures to be with the team in the foreseeable future.