MIAMI (Reuters) - Japanese pitcher Hideo Nomo is bidding to return to Major League Baseball after a three-year absence by signing a minor-league deal with the Kansas City Royals.
The Royals said on Friday that the 39-year-old Nomo would take part in their spring training camp.
Right-hander Nomo spent 11 seasons in MLB after joining the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995 when he became just the second Japanese player in the Majors.
In his first season he was named 'Rookie of the Year' and also made the All-Star team for the National League.
"He's obviously been a very successful pitcher and we're going to give him an opportunity to compete for a job out of spring training," Royals' general manager Dayton Moore told the team's Web site (kansascity.royals.mlb.com).
Nomo had two spells with the Dodgers which were separated by seasons with the New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox.
His final club was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2005 and he has most recently been playing in the Venezuelan league.
Nomo will become the Royals' second Japanese pitcher at camp next month in Arizona after they earlier signed reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta, a right-hander from the Chiba Lotte Marines.
(Reporting by Simon Evans in Miami; Editing by John Mehaffey)
The Royals said on Friday that the 39-year-old Nomo would take part in their spring training camp.
Right-hander Nomo spent 11 seasons in MLB after joining the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995 when he became just the second Japanese player in the Majors.
In his first season he was named 'Rookie of the Year' and also made the All-Star team for the National League.
"He's obviously been a very successful pitcher and we're going to give him an opportunity to compete for a job out of spring training," Royals' general manager Dayton Moore told the team's Web site (kansascity.royals.mlb.com).
Nomo had two spells with the Dodgers which were separated by seasons with the New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox.
His final club was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2005 and he has most recently been playing in the Venezuelan league.
Nomo will become the Royals' second Japanese pitcher at camp next month in Arizona after they earlier signed reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta, a right-hander from the Chiba Lotte Marines.
(Reporting by Simon Evans in Miami; Editing by John Mehaffey)
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