Two seasons ago, when it was thought Takashi Toritani was considering a move to MLB, many of the Pacific Rim scouts coming in and out of Japan were mostly lukewarm about his MLB prospects. They may had been fooled into thinking he was on a sharp decline by a decent, but un-Toritani-like year in 2011 and a slightly worse one in 2012.
It's ironic then, in a way, that with Toritani having gotten better, or at least back to normal at the plate and in the field in the ensuing two years, that it was the Tigers stalwart who met the overtures of the Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres and others with a tepid response this time around.
Toritani has decided not to pursue a job in the MLB, ending two months of silence with an announcement on Friday.
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