Prior adversity helped Albers excel in Japan
LHP Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.) posted a 9-2 record and a 3.08 ERA with the Orix Buffaloes of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) circuit in 2018. Photo Credit: Twitter
By Kevin Glew
Canadian Baseball Network
Adversity makes us stronger.
Canadian left-hander Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.) is an inspirational testament to that.
After posting a 5.89 ERA in 28 starts with the Korean Baseball Organization’s Hanwha Eagles in 2014, no one would’ve blamed him if he swore off ever pitching overseas again.
But after returning to North America and enduring another difficult season in 2015, he rebounded to enjoy two of his best pro seasons, including registering a 5-1 record and a 3.51 ERA in nine games with the Seattle Mariners in 2017.
After that strong major league showing, Albers surprised some when he decided to head back overseas to sign a one-year deal with the Orix Buffaloes of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) circuit in Japan. But his performance in Asia this time would be much better.
“I think playing in Korea in 2014 really helped me because I went over there and really struggled," explained Albers, prior to Baseball Canada's National Teams Awards Banquet on Saturday. "I wasn’t necessarily 100% healthy but I didn’t pitch very well either. So I think that experience in and of itself was a big contributor to having success in Japan. It gave me an idea of what to expect because even though they’re different places, there are a lot of similarities between the two cultures. And there are also a lot similarities in the [way they play] baseball."
It also helped that Albers got off to a hot start with his new club. Through his first 14 starts, he was 9-1 with a 2.41 ERA and he was the winning pitcher in the all-star game.
"Getting off to a good start always helps," said Albers. "You get off to a good start and have a little bit of success and then you gain some confidence and you fit in with the team a little bit better. And everyone starts getting confidence in you as well – all of those things helped and the beginning of the season went as well as it could have."
Albers completed the season with a 9-2 record and a 3.08 ERA in 19 starts before being sidelined by a herniated disc in his back near the end of the season. His performance convinced the NPB club to offer him a two-year contract extension valued at a reported $3.8-million in August. Though Albers likely would’ve commanded interest from major league clubs, he signed the deal and will return to Japan for the next two seasons.
“It’s hard to say (if there would’ve been major league opportunities). It’s one of those things where you just don’t know,” said Albers. “We had an opportunity to talk about a contract extension in mid-season and they made a great offer. They treated me extremely well and I was comfortable there and I was really enjoying my time there. And I thought, ‘What more can I look for?’ . . . It felt like it was too good to pass up.”
Prior to his season in Japan, Albers, who’s now 33, had also toed the rubber in parts of eight pro seasons in the North American professional ranks, including parts of four big league campaigns with the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays and the aforementioned Mariners.
Though he’s signed with his Japanese club through 2020, Albers is not ruling out a return to Major League Baseball when his current contract expires.
“I would love to pitch in the big leagues again. I don’t know if it will happen, but certainly that’s going to be the goal at some point, but we’ll see what happens over the next couple of years. If I’m still in good health, then maybe I’ll give it one more shot over here in North America," said Albers.
"Obviously I’m going to have to continue to pitch well in order for it to be a conversation. So we’ll see what happens. Right now, I’m just worried about going down there [back to his Japanese club] and the things I can control. I’ve got to get ready for the season and hopefully have another good year.”
Albers, who has spent much of the off-season in his hometown of North Battleford, Sask., plans to head back to Japan at the end of January to get settled before spring training begins on February 1.
Despite the short off-season and a busy personal schedule, Albers always tries to return to the Baseball Canada National Teams Awards Banquet each year.
“The first reason I come back is Greg Hamilton and the job that he does, not only with the junior team, but obviously with the senior men’s team. Any time Greg asks me to do something, I feel like I want to help him because of the way he has helped me throughout my career and the way that he goes about doing things for this program,” said Albers.
The veteran lefty also savors seeing many of his teammates from the national squads he has played on over the years. Albers has pitched for the Canadian National Team in numerous tournaments and was a key contributor to Canada’s back-to-back gold-medal winning teams in the 2011 and 2015 Pan Am Games. He started the gold medal contest in 2011 and appeared in relief in the final game in 2015. Both of those teams have been inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
"For me I’ve been very blessed and very fortunate to be part of a lot of those great experiences,” said Albers. “So I love coming back to this event and getting to see the guys . . . It’s a great group and we always have fun together. I’m getting to catch up with guys like Mike Saunders, Pete Orr, Jeff Francis and my Saskatchewan buddy Dustin Molleken. It’s great because I only get to see them a couple of times a year if that.”
But with baseball being reinstated in the 2020 Olympics, Albers hopes to been able to play with some these guys again next year.
“I’d love to play for Canada in the Olympics,” said Albers. “It’s actually something I have written into my contract. Any time there’s a tournament that doesn’t interfere with our [NPB] season, I want to make sure that I’m able to play for my country. Being that the Olympics are in Tokyo in 2020. I would imagine our season will get put on hold for that because the Japanese team will want to take their best guys. So there will be guys from the NPB there. So if we qualify this year, I hope to be able to play.”