Veteran of 12 seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines with versatility on the mound remind people of Shigetoshi Hasegawa, the Royals signed Yabuta prior the 2008 season. Yabuta held his own and struck out Johnny Damon, Derrek Lee, and Alex Rodriguez in his cameo relief appearance against the Americans during the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Pictured here is his 2003 BBM card, showing him in action five years before making his Major League debut.