It feels like a lifetime has passed since Lee Seung Yeop and Park Chan Ho last wore the same uniform.

They were both stars then — Lee a hard-hitting slugger for the Yomiuri Giants and Park a pitcher for the San Diego Padres — joining forces under the South Korean flag at the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

So much has changed since then, as once-bright careers have dwindled to embers in need of a new spark.

When the Orix Buffaloes open spring camp Feb. 1 in Okinawa, the Korean stars will be in the same uniform once again, and together will take their first steps toward recapturing the past.

Suddenly Kansai’s second team has become the land of second chances.

The Buffaloes, coming off a fifth-place finish in the Pacific League, are banking on a Korean revival this season. One they hope to ride all the way up the PL standings.

The Buffaloes had good players last season, but were lacking production in key areas. They made a lot of moves over the winter, but the biggest impact may come from the alliance of two of the biggest stars in Korean baseball history.

If Lee and Park are able to recapture their vintage form, the Buffaloes should stand a good chance at competing for a spot in the Climax Series. The Buffaloes already have a big bat in 2010 home run leader Takahiro Okada, but with Alex Cabrera joining Tuffy Rhodes on the list of former Orix sluggers, the team could use more power.

That’s where Lee comes in.

Lee was once baseball royalty, South Korea’s “Lion King,” who, after a dynamic career with the Samsung Lions in the Korean Baseball Organization, helped the Chiba Lotte Marines win a Japan Series in 2005 and put up monster numbers for the Giants in 2007.

Since then, Lee has battled injuries and poor performance.

The bottom fell out in 2010, with his play at the plate and in the field forcing Yomiuri manager Tatsunori Hara to use him as little more than an expensive pinch hitter.

Anything resembling the Lee of old paired with Okada will make the Buffaloes lineup a force to be reckoned with, especially with Mistutaka Goto and Aarom Baldiris also lurking.

Park also arrives in Kobe with an impressive resume.

At 37 years old, he’s almost already done it all. He was a high school and college star in Korea before signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a 20-year old. He went on to compile a 124-98 record in 17 MLB seasons, making the 2001 All-Star team and pitching in the World Series in 2009.

Park, the winningest Asian pitcher in MLB history, wants to show the world he’s still got it and is prepared to using Japan as his proving ground.

The Orix staff already has a No. 1 pitcher in Chihiro Kaneko and a viable second option in Hiroshi Kisanuki. Park should slide into the rotation somewhere, alongside another reclamation project in Hayato Terahara, in hopes his presence can solidify the the pitching staff.

Lee is looking for a rebound while Park is set for a new beginning with one eye on old challenges.

As the next stage of their career begins, they’ve both got something to prove. Which is just what the Buffaloes are counting on.

Back in December, the Red Sox completed a blockbuster trade with the San Diego Padres to acquire Adrian Gonzalez, sending away three premier prospects and a player to be named later.

As the North County Times points out, two of those prospects, Casey Kelly, who ranks 19th on Keith Law’s Top 100 prospects of 2011, and Anthony Rizzo, who ranks 38th, have dismissed the pressure of replacing the Padres’ former star first baseman.

“I don’t play first base, so I definitely can’t be Adrian Gonzalez and I can’t hit home runs like him,” Kelly joked with the North County Times.

“I think coming in here, I put more pressure on myself than anybody else does,” Kelly added. “Obviously [Gonzalez] is a tremendous player, and it’s big pressure to be traded for him, but at the same time, I don’t look at it as that. I look at what I need to do to put myself in the right position to succeed the most.”

Like Kelly, Rizzo is downplaying the pressure but hopes to just be nearly as good as Gonzalez.

“He’s a proven big leaguer over five or six years now,” Rizzo said. “I don’t expect to be called up and hit 100 home runs and drive in 100 RBIs right away. It’s a process. It’s an adjustment. I’ll be ready for the adjustment and to start my own legacy.

“Especially with Adrian — he got to live the ultimate kid’s dream of playing for his hometown. He’s a homegrown guy. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to replace him and what he’s done for this community, but hopefully I can come close to it.”

As a 20-year-old at Double-A with the Portland Sea Dogs, Rizzo had very similar if not better stats than did Gonzalez during his tenure in Portland as a 20-year-old in the Marlins organization when the Sea Dogs were Florida’s Double-A affiliate.

Last season, Rizzo had a .263 batting average with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs, while in 2002, Gonzalez had a .266 batting average with 17 home runs and 96 RBIs. However, Gonzalez had 106 more plate appearances that season.

Randy Smith, the Padres’ director of player development and international scouting, also reflected on Rizzo, and the other two prospects, not having to compare themselves to Gonzalez.

“We’re just saying, ‘Hey, just because you were traded for Adrian, no one expects you to be Adrian. You’ve got to be yourselves. Don’t try to be something that you’re not. He’s in Boston; you’re here,’” Smith told the North County Times. “All three [Kelly, Rizzo and Reymond Fuentes] have a real good head on their shoulders. They’re good kids, they’re level-headed, and I think they’ll make the transition pretty good.”

Gonzalez may be the new big ticket at Fenway Park now, but in the near future Kelly and Rizzo could be the big attractions at Petco Park.

SANDIEGO (AP) – The San Diego Padres and infielder Jorge Cantu have reached agreement on a one-year contract.

The Padres also agreed Wednesday with right-hander Greg Burke on a minor league deal. He was invited to big league spring training.

Cantu split the 2010 season between the Florida Marlins and Texas Rangers, hitting a combined .256 with 11 home runs and 56 RBIs. The right-handed hitter started 123 games last season, 86 at third base.

Burke spent the 2010 season with Triple-A Portland, going 2-2 with a 5.68 ERA. He made his major league debut in 2009 for the Padres and went 3-3 with a 4.14 ERA.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

January 27, 2011 – Midwest League (MWL) Fort Wayne TinCaps

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Fort Wayne alums swept the San Diego Padres’ annual minor-league awards for the 2010 season. C Jason Hagerty was named the organization’s Offensive Player of the Year and RHP Brad Brach won Pitcher of the Year honors.

Hagerty, 23, hit .302 with 14 homers for the TinCaps in 2010. The switch-hitting catcher was ranked the Padres’ No. 10 prospect by Baseball America.

Brach, 24, set a California League record with 41 saves in 2010. He anchored the TinCaps’ bullpen in 2009, leading the Midwest League with 33 saves. In his pro career, Brach is 9-6 with a 1.90 ERA, is 78-for-83 in save opportunities and has struck out more than a batter per inning (189 strikeouts in 151.2 innings) while holding the opposition to a .196 batting average.

INF Jeudy Valdez took home the Padres’ minor-league Baserunner of the Year award. The 21- year-old stole 34 bases for the TinCaps in 2010.

In addition, C Luis Martinez was named the organization’s Defensive Player of the Year. He threw out 31 percent of runners attempting to steal and was the MVP of the 2010 Texas League All-Star Game representing the Double-A San Antonio Missions. Martinez played in Fort Wayne in 2007 and 2008.

Former Fort Wayne manager Gary Jones received the Jack Krol Minor League Coach of the Year Award for 2010. He has won the award three times while serving in several coaching roles in the San Diego organization. Jones has been the roving minor-league infield coordinator for the last four years. He managed Fort Wayne to a playoff appearance in 2003.

TinCaps 2011 ticket plans, group outings and picnics are on sale now. Visit TinCaps.com for more information.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

The San Diego Padres and infielder Jorge Cantu have reached agreement on a one-year contract worth $850,000 US.

The Padres also agreed Wednesday with right-hander Greg Burke on a minor league deal. He was invited to big league spring training.

Cantu split the 2010 season between the Florida Marlins and Texas Rangers, hitting a combined .256 with 11 home runs and 56 runs batted in. The right-handed hitter started 123 games last season, 86 at third base.

Burke spent the 2010 season with AAA Portland, going 2-2 with a 5.68 earned-run average.

He made his major league debut in 2009 for the Padres and went 3-3 with a 4.14 ERA.

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres and infielder Jorge Cantu have reached agreement on a one-year contract.

The Padres also agreed Wednesday with right-hander Greg Burke on a minor league deal. He was invited to big league spring training.

Cantu split the 2010 season between the Florida Marlins and Texas Rangers, hitting a combined .256 with 11 home runs and 56 RBIs. The right-handed hitter started 123 games last season, 86 at third base.

Burke spent the 2010 season with Triple-A Portland, going 2-2 with a 5.68 ERA. He made his major league debut in 2009 for the Padres and went 3-3 with a 4.14 ERA.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press