Allan Winans hasn't quite been able to establish himself at the MLB level, either with the Atlanta Braves or most recently the New York Yankees.
He's heading to Japan to try and put his career back on track.
MLB insider Francys Romero reported Thursday that Winans is finishing up a deal with the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball.
Winans is a 6-foot-2, 30-year-old right-handed pitcher. He originally was a 17th-round draft pick by the New York Mets in 2018 out of Campbell University (the Camels!).
He didn't make it to the majors until 2023 with the Atlanta Braves. That season, Winans started six games for Atlanta and had a 5.29 ERA.
Winans pitched in two more games for the Braves in 2024, allowing 13 earned runs in 7.2 innings.
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This past season for the Yankees, Winans started one game and relieved in two others. He gave up nine earned runs in 9.1 innings.
He has been a much better pitcher in the minor leagues.
In his minor league career, Winans has a 2.70 ERA. That includes a 1.63 ERA at Triple-A in 2025.
He also strikes out 8.5 batters per nine innings in his minor league career.
Winans sure seems like a guy who could have legitimate success in NPB. Maybe he can parlay that back into an MLB contract in a year or two, as well.
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