Good luck, Mark!
The 2022 season was a historic one for Mark Payton. The Orland Park, IL native led the Knights in nearly ever offensive category and was a team leader throughout. He made his mark in Charlotte and in the International League.
Recently, the 31-year-old was slated to return to the Chicago White Sox organization after signing a minor league contract with the team back in December. However, more recently, Payton decided to instead take his talents to Japan.
On December 23, 2022, the Seibu Lions announced the signing of Payton.
Payton was named a 2022 Triple-A Postseason All-Star back in November after he led the Knights in batting average (.293), hits (138), total bases (254), doubles (31), triples (5), home runs (25), RBI (95), slugging percentage (.539) and OPS (.908).
For the season, he finished sixth in the International League in batting average, fifth in hits, tied for third in doubles, sixth in home runs, second in RBI, eighth in on-base percentage (.369), first in slugging percentage, second in OPS and third in extra-base hits (61). He now ranks eighth on the Charlotte Knights single-season RBI list with 95. Additionally, his 85 runs scored in 2022 put him into a tie for sixth place on the Charlotte Knights single-season runs scored list.
The Lions will be getting a talented player this season. I’m sure Mark will thrive in Japan — much like he did during the 2022 season in the Queen City.
Good luck with the Lions, Mark. Thanks for all you did in Charlotte in 2022. Wishing you lots of luck in 2023!
