First there was Nomo-mania, then Irabu fever. Could Junichi be the next Japanese pitching sensation?
Continuing the Asian invasion of major-league pitching staffs, the Reds on Wednesday agreed to contract terms with 18-year-old Japanese pitching prospect Junichi Iwasaki.
Iwasaki will be the first Japanese player to sign with the Reds, a franchise whose success in the 1970s was built in part by the aggressive recruitment of players from Latin America.
Recently, that global scouting approach had become as rare as the complete game, but a renewed emphasis should get a jump start from Wednesday's agreement.
''There's no question this organization has been behind in international scouting,'' said Reds General Manager Jim Bowden. ''Now that we're limited in things we can do with our major league payroll we're shifting some funds toward development and scouting.'' Iwasaki, a left-hander, will not officially sign the contract until after his high school graduation on March 1.
''Junichi has a good arm and breaking ball, and in several years we expect him to progress into a major-league pitcher,'' said De Jon Watson, the Reds' director of scouting.
Remlinger signs
In other news, pitchers Mike Remlinger and Keith Glauber signed one-year contracts Wednesday.
Left-hander Remlinger, 31, was 3-8 with a 4.14 ERA with two complete games, two saves and a team-high 145 strikeouts in 12 starts and 57 relief appearances.
The Reds obtained Glauber, 25, from St. Louis in this year's Rule 5 draft. Last season he was 6-10 with a 3.25 ERA in 65 games for St. Louis' Double-A and Triple-A clubs.
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