Wladimir Balentien Signed 4×6 Photo

This photo was autographed by NPB superstar Wladimir Balentien in 2005, when he was a rising 21-year-old in the Seattle Mariners organization, playing centerfield for the Inland Empire 66ers.  NPB fans may be surprised to hear that the now-humongous “Coco” was a centerfielder back then, especially if they knew that he was on the same team as Adam Jones. Balentien, however, was an athletic young player with a cannon for an arm out of Curacao (he has represented the Netherlands in the Olympics and World Baseball Classic), and Jones was still playing shortstop.

Balentien made it to the big leagues at just 23 years old, but he never could quite stick over his three seasons with the Mariners and Cincinnati Reds. In 2011, he signed with NPB’s Tokyo Yakult Swallows, and the rest is history. Balentien is one of the best power hitters in NPB history, exemplified by his amazing 2013 season when he shattered Sadaharu Oh’s famed single-season home run record with 60 homers. Now with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, Balentien expects to reach 300 NPB home runs in 2021.