Hiroshima, Japan.-Dominican outfielder Sandro Fabián agreed to a US$5.8 million contract to join the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan.
A three-year pact worth $600,000 in incentives, Fabian was on the 40-man roster of the Texas Rangers, who apparently received a release fee from Carp to let him go.
Fabián, who turns 27 in March, was an international signing of the Giants in the Dominican Republic in 2014.
Baseball America considered him one of the top prospects in that system from 2017 to 2020, as he performed well in the lower levels of the minors but struggled more as he climbed the ladder.
His prospect stock dimmed and he hit minor league free agency after 2021, having never risen beyond Double-A.
In each of the last three offseasons, he signed a minor league contract with the Rangers.
He finally managed to make his major league debut at the end of 2024, and was selected to the roster in the first week of September.
He was hitless in five plate appearances in three games.
For the most part, Fabian has been top-level depth for the Rangers. He has made 1,093 plate appearances in 265 games at the Triple-A level, keeping his strikeout rate at 15.3%, but only walking at a 6.9% clip.
In the hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League, his .272/.332/.482 batting line during that time translates to a 95 wRC+.
Decision
— Outside the Bulls
As is customary, after a player signs with a team in the Japan League, he has to stop playing in the Winter League, and Sandro Fabián was no exception. Fabián did not attend the Quisqueya stadium yesterday with the Toros.
