Now that Nick Stavinoha is a member of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, and not the St. Louis Cardinals, I'm able to feel kind of fond of our erstwhile outfielder-by-default. It wasn't really his fault that he blocked Allen Craig and was consistently mediocre in his major league appearances; he was a fine AAA hitter, and he's as likely as anyone else to be one of those lucky gaijin whose game reaches Nippon Pro Baseball at a peculiarly high exchange rate. Nevertheless: The Nick Stavinoha Japan Tour is off to a bit of a slow start.
↵Through seven games with the Carp, apparently at first base, the Stav Infection has been good for six hits, a home run, and a .214/.241/.357 line, which you might recognize from his 39-game stint with the Cardinals in 2009 (.230/.242/.379.)
↵All stats are from NPB's very usable, very dated English-language website. Other recognizable Carp gaijin: Bryan Bullington, the Pirates' ill-advised first overall pick back in 2002, and former Brewers relief prospect Dennis Sarfate.
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