Rob Fidler has been the Cincinnati Reds’ Manager of Pacific Rim Scouting since Dick Williams took over the team’s General Manager role and finally, finally began to branch out scouting efforts overseas. Japan, specifically, had been deemed a locale “too expensive” for a dedicated scout under former GM Walt Jocketty, as The Enquirer’s C. Trent Rosecrans relayed back in 2015 when detailing how the Reds were the lone team in MLB who had never had a Japanese player.
Of course, the Reds had a rather high profile pursuit of Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani earlier this winter, one that while ultimately fruitless showed a more concrete interest in adding players from one of the world’s most active markets.