TOKYO -- Teruaki Sato of the Hanshin Tigers is aiming to be the next Japanese slugger to move to American baseball.
Sato, 27, who hit 39 home runs this season with 106 RBIs and a .306 average, is looking for a move to Major League Baseball through the posting system, the Japanese news agency Kyodo reported.
He won the triple crown in Japan's Central League.
"I am grateful to the team for respecting my wishes," Sato said in a statement from the Tigers.
Sato, a third baseman/outfielder, was a member of Japan's national team that reached the quarterfinals of this year's World Baseball Classic.
In his career in Japan, Sato has played 803 games, recorded a batting average of .271 with 163 home runs and 518 RBIs.