Justin Bour signs with Hanshin of Japan (report)

Justin Bour is taking his powerful bat to Japan.

The lefty slugger has reached an agreement with the Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league, Tigers GM Osamu Tanimoto told the Japan Times on Thursday. The Angels signed the 31-year-old Bour to a one-year, $2.5 million contract for the 2019 season, but he struggled with Los Angeles, batting .172/.259/.364 with eight home runs across 52 games.

Bour’s best Major League season came in 2017, when he participated in the Home Run Derby and finished that year with 25 dingers and a 143 league-adjusted OPS+. Bour has thumped 92 homers and slashed .253/.337/.457 over six big league seasons.