Japanese Baseball Cards: RIP Angel Echevarria

Sunday, February 9, 2020

RIP Angel Echevarria

Sad news broke yesterday - former Nippon-Ham Fighters outfielder Angel Echevarria passed away Friday at age 48.

Echevarria had played in the majors for the Rockies, Brewers and Cubs before joining the Fighters (who still played in Tokyo at the time) for the 2003 season. He hit .275 with 31 home runs and 84 RBIs in 110 games that season. He ran into issues getting playing time the following season (the Fighter's first in Hokkaido) as Fernando Seguignol had joined the team and Sherman Obando had returned after a season playing in Mexico. His numbers dropped to 16 home runs and 54 RBIs with a .258 batting average in 94 games. He rejoined the Cubs organization in 2005, spending the first month of the season with their Triple-A Iowa club before playing the rest of the season in the Mexican League. He finished his career playing for the Bridgeport Bluefish in the independent Atlantic League in 2006.

Echevarria had cards in the 2003 and 2004 1st and 2nd Version sets from BBM as well as their Fighters team sets for those years. He was also in their Touch The Game set for both years and their 2004 Pacific League Playoffs set. He also had Calbee and Konami cards both years he was in Japan. The only OB card for him that I know of is from the 2013 BBM Fighters 10th Season In Hokkaido set.