Alfonso Soriano

Soriano began his professional baseball career in Japan with the [[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]], training at their Carp Academy for [[Dominican Republic|Dominican]] players. Soriano spent 1996 playing in Japan in the minor [[Western League (Japanese baseball)|Western League]].<ref name=coskrey>{{cite news|last1=Coskrey|first1=Jason|title=Fateful decision in Japan put Soriano on path to MLB|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2014/11/08/baseball/japanese-baseball/fateful-decision-japan-put-soriano-path-mlb/#.VaUsnq6UzGd|access-date=14 July 2015|work=[[Japan Times]]|date=November 8, 2014}}</ref> In 1997, he was promoted to the [[varsity team]], and, wearing [[uniform number]] 74, he appeared in nine games, batting .118 (2 for 17) with two [[base on balls|walks]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Bob |last=Nightengale |url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/bbw/2002-05-15/special.htm |title=Soriano makes difficult game seem easy |access-date=September 6, 2008 |date=May 14, 2002 |work=[[USA Today]] [[Sports Weekly|Baseball Weekly]]}}</ref>

Soriano began his professional baseball career in Japan with the [[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]], training at their Carp Academy for [[Dominican Republic|Dominican]] players. Soriano spent 1996 playing in Japan in the minor [[Western League (Japanese baseball)|Western League]].<ref name=coskrey>{{cite news|last1=Coskrey|first1=Jason|title=Fateful decision in Japan put Soriano on path to MLB|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2014/11/08/baseball/japanese-baseball/fateful-decision-japan-put-soriano-path-mlb/#.VaUsnq6UzGd|access-date=14 July 2015|work=[[Japan Times]]|date=November 8, 2014}}</ref> In 1997, he was promoted to the [[varsity team]], and, wearing [[uniform number]] 74, he appeared in nine games, batting .118 (2 for 17) with two [[base on balls|walks]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Bob |last=Nightengale |url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/bbw/2002-05-15/special.htm |title=Soriano makes difficult game seem easy |access-date=September 6, 2008 |date=May 14, 2002 |work=[[USA Today]] [[Sports Weekly|Baseball Weekly]]}}</ref>

Soriano disliked the intense Japanese practice schedule, and the Carp denied him a salary increase from $45,000 to $180,000 per year.<ref name="sori">{{cite magazine|url=http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1026510/index.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102071812/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1026510/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 2, 2013 |title=He's Arrived |author=Pearlman, Jeff |access-date=November 21, 2008 |date=August 26, 2002 |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |author-link=Jeff Pearlman }}</ref> Like [[Hideo Nomo]] and [[Hideki Irabu]], who had previously left Japan to play in the United States, Soriano hired [[Don Nomura]] to help his situation. After first attempting to void Soriano's [[Nippon Professional Baseball]] (NPB) contract by unsuccessfully arguing that the player was legally a minor when he signed it, Nomura advised him, like Nomo, to retire from NPB and pursue a career in MLB. This prompted Carp executives to file an [[injunction]] against Soriano, and to send letters to MLB teams demanding that they cease all negotiations with him. After the Nomo case, NPB officials had amended the Working Agreement without consulting any MLB officials in an attempt to prevent the situation from recurring. Since MLB had not agreed to any changes to the agreement, [[Commissioner of Baseball (MLB)|MLB Commissioner]] [[Bud Selig]] declared that MLB would recognize Soriano as a free agent on July 13, 1998 and the Carp backed down.<ref>{{cite book |last= Whiting |first= Robert |author-link= Robert Whiting |title= The Meaning of Ichiro: The New Wave from Japan and the Transformation of Our National Pastime |publisher= Warner Books |date= April 2004 |isbn= 0-446-53192-8 |pages= [https://archive.org/details/meaningofichiron00whit/page/142 142–144] |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/meaningofichiron00whit/page/142 }}</ref>

Soriano disliked the intense Japanese practice schedule, and the Carp denied him a salary increase from $45,000 to $180,000 per year.<ref name="sori">{{cite magazine|url=http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1026510/index.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102071812/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1026510/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 2, 2013 |title=He's Arrived |author=Pearlman, Jeff |access-date=November 21, 2008 |date=August 26, 2002 |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |author-link=Jeff Pearlman }}</ref> Like [[Hideo Nomo]] and [[Hideki Irabu]], who had previously left Japan to play in the United States, Soriano hired sports agent [[Don Nomura]] to help his situation. After first attempting to void Soriano's [[Nippon Professional Baseball]] (NPB) contract by unsuccessfully arguing that the player was legally a minor when he signed it, Nomura advised him, like Nomo, to retire from NPB and pursue a career in MLB. This prompted Carp executives to file an [[injunction]] against Soriano, and to send letters to MLB teams demanding that they cease all negotiations with him. After the Nomo case, NPB officials had amended the Working Agreement without consulting any MLB officials in an attempt to prevent the situation from recurring. Since MLB had not agreed to any changes to the agreement, [[Commissioner of Baseball (MLB)|MLB Commissioner]] [[Bud Selig]] declared that MLB would recognize Soriano as a free agent on July 13, 1998 and the Carp backed down.<ref>{{cite book |last= Whiting |first= Robert |author-link= Robert Whiting |title= The Meaning of Ichiro: The New Wave from Japan and the Transformation of Our National Pastime |publisher= Warner Books |date= April 2004 |isbn= 0-446-53192-8 |pages= [https://archive.org/details/meaningofichiron00whit/page/142 142–144] |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/meaningofichiron00whit/page/142 }}</ref>

===New York Yankees (1998–2003)===

===New York Yankees (1998–2003)===