Robbie Erlin has agreed to a one year deal with the Nippon Ham Fighters, per reports on the Tweetbox. The 30 year old left handed pitcher will thus be spending the 2021 season in the NPB.
Erlin, of course, was once a Texas Rangers pitching prospect of some note, which is why we are doing this post about him. Erlin was the Rangers third round pick in the 2009 draft, which famously saw Texas fail to sign Matt Purke, their first round pick. Erlin, an undersized high schooler out of California, put up minuscule ERAs in low-A in 2010 and in high-A in 2011, earning an early summer promotion to AA Frisco where he held his own as a 20 year old before being sent to San Diego, along with Joe Wieland, at the 2011 trade deadline for reliever Mike Adams.