Cooper Hummel's NPB Dream: Playing Little League in Japan & the Yokohama BayStars | クーパー・ヒュンメル | Episode 23

In this episode of Pacific Swings, we sit down with Cooper Hummel — an outfielder whose 2025 season reads less like a baseball career and more like a fever dream written by someone who has never seen a contract before. Astros. Yankees. Orioles (for 48 hours). DFA'd. Re-signed. DFA'd again. And then: 11 homers in 22 games with Tampa Bay in AAA, a flight to Tokyo, and a deal with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.

David MacKinnon, former NPB player and Seibu Lions alumnus, guides Cooper through what's coming. Jasper Spanjaart watches from a safe distance, having never been DFA'd in his life.

Inside This Episode:

- The high school coach who told Cooper he'd never amount to anything as a switch hitter (current status: professional switch hitter, year 10)

- Being drafted in the 32nd round and building an MLB career anyway

- Why Cooper always knew NPB was in his future — he lived in Japan as a kid

- Playing Little League in Musashi-Fuchu with a future NPB player as a teammate

- First impressions of Yokohama: the food, the shopping, the neighborhood

- Why the BayStars care more about the CL pennant than the Japan Series

- The NPB dead ball era coming to an end (allegedly — we know nothing, don't sue us)

- Goal-setting: OBP .400 every year, compare yourself to the best in the league

- If Cooper hits 40 homers, he's buying dinner. We're holding him to this.

🎙️ Hosted by David MacKinnon (@DCMacK24) & Jasper Spanjaart (@spnjrt) 📺 Subscribe: https://youtube.com/@PacificSwings

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