Norichika Aoki: Japanese Center Fielder Possibly Posted This Morning

According to Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports, Norichika Aoki will probably be posted by the Yakult Swallows this morning.

I have a feeling that a lot of people might not have even heard his name before, so let's take a look at who this guy is.

He has played in Japan for five seasons, and he has had quite a bit of success. His best year was arguably his rookie season where he hit .346 with 20 home runs, 58 RBI and 17 stolen bases. He seems to be a pretty good all around package.

His numbers are not quite as good as Ichiro Suzuki's were in his time in Japan, but they are comparable.

Ichiro probably had his best season with the Orix Blue Waves in 2000 when he hit .387 with 12 home runs, 73 RBI and 21 stolen bases.

So, where will this center fielder end up?

I can safely say that it will probably not be any of the typical players who have signed Japanese players in the past.

For example, the Yankees have Curtis Granderson in center field, the Red Sox have Jacoby Ellsbury and the Dodgers have Matt Kemp.

According to an old tweet by Jerry Crasnick, he claimed the Indians, Athletics, Nationals and maybe the Mets would be good fits.

However, since the Indians brought back Grady Sizemore, I do not necessarily see them on the board right now.

It will be interesting to see where he ends up, as well as the impact he will end up having.