The Texas Rangers have released outfielder Joe McCarthy. This news was tweeted by Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. McCarthy was granted his release earlier this week. He will now play in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball Organization. He has agreed to a deal with the Orix Buffaloes in Japan. The team has yet to make an official announcement. The 28-year old outfielder will lead this young team. They started the 2022 season with a record of 10–12. One has to wonder if McCarthy made the decision to play overseas when he learned how crowded the Rangers’ outfield was going to be this season. Perhaps the Rangers releasing him will be a brand new start for McCarthy. It should be a very interesting season for him and his new team. It’s very similar to the situation that former Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis was once in. He played in NPB for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp from 2008-2009.
Good Genes
The young outfielder isn’t the only major leaguer in his family. He is the older brother of Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Jake McCarthy. Jake is a former fifth-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Rays. As cliche as it is, you could definitely say that baseball is in their blood. The Rangers’ release of the eldest McCarthy is the start of a new journey for him. However, new challenges are on the horizon for him. Coincidentally, he’ll need to adapt to playing in Japan, just as he adapted to playing in the states. Moreover, he’ll need to learn a new language. People always talk about players coming over from Japan. They talk about the difficulty that comes with not only playing in the United States, but living here as well.
It is the same for American players going over to play in Japan. They have the same set of challenges. It will be very interesting to see how McCarthy does with the Buffaloes. He hasn’t seen any action in the regular season for the Rangers. In spring training this year, he played in ten games. He had 14 at-bats in which he hit .571. He hit three home runs, and drove in eight.
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