12
2012
Sayonara Bobby! Scales Headed To Japan
An article by 
Buffalo Bisons infielder Bobby Scales has been placed on the temporary inactive list. The move was made as a result of reporters finding out that he was planning on signing with a team in the Japanese Baseball League. A check of the Bison’s roster on the team’s official website reveals that Scales name has been removed from the team’s roster.
Scales, a second baseman, is presently leading the Herd with a .339 batting average. His possible replacements on the Bisons roster would be Oswaldo Navarro or Brad Emaus. The Mets also may decide to promote Reese Havens from AA, but I expect them to audition the other guys first.
About the Author: Peter Shapiro
The first time I went to Shea was not for a Mets game, it was for the Beatles concert there in August of '66. My first Met game was '67, a guy named Salty Parker was the interim-manager then. My first pennant race was 1969. As a 12 year-old that summer and fall, I managed to get to the park for 3 games. The first was the beginning of the Miracle which actually started on Tuesday July 8, 1969 with a day game against the Cubs. I was there a lot in '73. I saw games 3 & 5 of the 1973 NL Playoffs against the "Big Red Machine", from the upper deck behind home plate. It was from there that I witnessed the fight between Bud Harrelson and Pete Rose, and the mayhem that ensued. And that sweet victory in game 5! I saw a couple of WS games at Shea that year against that legendary Oakland A's club. I was there in 1985 for every single game Dr. K pitched including his two 16 strikeout performances, and the day he one-hit the Cubs on an infield single and the Mets won 1-0. I loved being a Met fan in those days. Hopefully we are once again preparing to emerge from the darkness.
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Hi Petey,
Did Scales have any possible future perceived with he Mets or was he one of those often referred to as mostly career minor leaguers?
Joe
This is actually a pretty big deal, mainly because it comes out of nowhere and Scales was more than likely going to be on the Mets at some point this year. He hit better than anyone in Buffalo and could be the team MVP thus far.
Is there any rule about other teams/leagues tampering with players during the season, similar to the NCAA? And is there any info on Bobby’s contract?
He’s 34 with 137 major league AB’s. Played 80 games in Japan last year and some in the States in AAA. .284 career minor league hitter, .812 OPS including Japan stats. Hit 18 homers last season in minors and Japan. He apparently has lots of resilience having started his minor league career in 1999 and still playing. Has to be a reason why he’s had so little playing time in the majors. I don’t know why but surmise he has difficulty somewhere in his game that offsets his solid minor league stats.
it’s not that uncommon for career MiL guys to have seasons or stretches like this. Just most of the time, it won’t translate if called up.
Of course occasionally a guy gets buried in the minors that really shouldn’t have, and will have a late career break out, but the vast majority of career MiL guys are that because they deserve to be.
wish him the best
Scales may have been insurance at second base. Murphy is looking good. Best of luck.
with Murphy actually looking like he could hold the job all year, havens finally back and playing, and Valdespin taking the next step (plus Tejada looking fine at SS so Cedeno is available, plus turner) they really don’t have a problem with lacking options for 2B
That’s right, and I think that is the real reason Scales bolted.
Bobby Scales was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 14th round of the 1999 amateur draft. He was granted free agency late in 2005. Over the next half dozen years, he’s been in the Phillies, Orioles, Red Sox and Cubs organizaions. Though he has played some major league baseball, he’s been mostly a career minor league second baseman.
Scales signed with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball on June 27, 2011. On January 27, 2012, Scales signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs. After leaving the Cubs, Scales signed a minor league contract with the Mets on April 1, 2012.
He’s played 61 major league games, with three homers, a .248 AV, 18 BB and 37 SO.
Best of luck to Bobby in his new Japan venture.
Too bad we couldn’t post him the way the japanese teams posted Darvish and get a cool 55 Million for the rights to negotiate for him! LOL
Scales is an true Patriot. Our nation’s trade balance is in the tank. Scales just made it a little better by exporting himself. Go USA!
LOL Now if only we could get China to accept baseball as their national pastime you might have solved the country’s trade deficit problem!
Hey it has done wonders for the Dominican Republic.
LOL the MLB might actually be the biggest employer in the DR soon!
He looked good as the first base coach yesterday in aaa.
I am confused. Don’t even minor league player sign contracts? Why would you let any player make a new contract while still under contract with your team? Do they let foreign leagues buy out contracts? Scales was never going to amount to anything but it seems odd that a team would let a player negotiate a contract with a different league behind their back without getting something out of it.
A minor league contract is different. A minor league veteran like Scales can ask for his release anytime he wants, for any reason. The Mets organization has no say over what he decides to do if he leaves the organization.