Former versatile Pirates player José Osuna's overseas excellence

Reaching the majors is an accomplishment in itself. Remaining there isn’t easy. Many players come to a crossroads when things aren’t working out. One solution is to play overseas. This provides them the opportunity to rejuvenate their careers. After a year or two of proving they are worthy of a second look, they have the chance to reestablish themselves at the highest level of competition. This really took off in the 1970s, with American players going over to Japan. Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) is considered the next best league behind MLB. 

Some have been quite successful in making this transition, such as Brad Eldred, a promising power hitter that didn’t work out for the Pirates, but enjoyed a long career in Japan with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. His best season with them came in 2014, in which he was the MVP of the Central League’s All-Star game and home run leader with 37 long balls. Ken Macha, who debuted with the Pirates in 1974, played four seasons with the Chunichi Dragons, winning the Central League pennant in 1982. The former Athletics and Brewers manager had a .304 career average in NPB. Bryan Bullington, another top Pirates prospect that stumbled in the majors, had a respectable tenure with Hiroshima, being named an All-Star in 2011.  

Ryan Vogelsong pitched three years in Japan, suiting up for both the Hanshin Tigers and Orix Buffaloes. After toiling in the Phillies and Angels minor leagues systems for a few seasons, he eventually made it back to the majors with the Giants and contributed to two World Series teams. Hall of Fame closer Rich Gossage was unsigned going into the 1990 season, but later pitched for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, who would finish in last place in the Pacific League that year. Gregory Polanco has been a slugger for the Yomiuri Giants and Chiba Lotte Marines, with 73 homers since going overseas in 2022.

Another former Pirate currently playing in Japan is José Osuna, who has done quite well for himself over there.  

Former Pirates utility player José Osuna has found excellence in Japan

Osuna joined the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in 2021 and won the Japan Series with them as their regular first baseman. That year, he hit .258 with 13 home runs and 60 RBI, and played a key role on the championship team that defeated Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Orix Buffaloes. The Venezuela native gave the Swallows the lead and eventual win in Game 4 with a clutch RBI single and had three hits in Game 6.

Tokyo returned to the Japan Series in 2022 but lost in seven games to Orix. Osuna hit a two-run double and solo home run in Game 1. Scott McGough, a Pittsburgh native, was the team’s closer, and has since returned to the majors. The Swallows also had Nori Aoki, a veteran of six major league seasons, who began his professional career with Tokyo in 2004 and came back in 2018. Then, there’s Munetaka Murakami, who won the Central League MVP and Triple Crown in 2022 with 56 home runs, a record in NPB for Japanese-born players.  

Since their pennant win in 2022, the Swallows have been on a downturn with consecutive losing seasons. Still, Osuna has performed well. In 2023, he hit 23 home runs, a career high for him across all levels, including the minors. This past season, Tokyo improved their record, but finished fifth in the Central League. Osuna signed a three-year extension with the team after 2021, and will be back with the club this year. The fans love him, and it's certainly possible he finishes out his career with them. His performance in Japan should warrant him a second chance in the majors, if he so chooses.

Before debuting as a pinch hitter on April 18, 2017, Osuna had spent a lot of time in the Pirates organization. He signed with them as an international free agent all the way back in 2009. Never considered a top prospect in the system, he was added to the 40-man roster after 2016, and was listed as the Pirates' 29th-best prospect going into 2017 by MLB.com.

With the major league team, he was mainly a part-time, platoon player at first base and right field, blocked by guys like Polanco and Josh Bell. In his rookie year, he got into 104 games, hitting .233 with seven home runs and 30 RBI. He spent more games in Triple-A Indianapolis in 2018 than with the big league club, during their most recent winning season. Osuna started 2019 on the injured list and spent some time rehabbing in the minors.

He never really found a place on the team going forward, and the Pirates opted to designate him for assignment after the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Signing with the Swallows shortly after has been the best decision of his career. Osuna found a new home on the other side of the world with a team that clearly values him. Hailing from Boconó, a city of about 80,000 in Trujillo, “El Gocho” has made a name for himself in both his home country and the Land of the Rising Sun. Whether he stays in Japan or comes back to the States, we wish him well on the rest of his baseball journey.