KBO veterans gather in SD… Who will be Kim Ha-sung’s new teammate?

 Looking closely, there are many familiar names. Who will be the new teammate of Ha-seong Kim (28, San Diego Padres)?

San Diego announced a list of 30 non-roster players (16 pitchers, 3 catchers, 6 infielders, 5 outfielders) to participate in the spring camp on the 9th (Korean time) through the club’s official SNS. The list included many names familiar to KBO League fans.

The representative player is ‘Incheon Ace’ Wilmer Font (33), who played for SSG Landers until last year. After leaving the KBO League at the end of last season, Font signed a minor league contract with San Diego and was invited to spring training.

Font showed off his strong pitch by 메이저사이트recording an average ERA of 3.03 and 327 strikeouts in 53 games, 21 wins, 11 losses, and 329⅔ innings over the two seasons he played in the KBO League. In particular, he drew attention by pitching 9 perfect innings in the opening game against NC Dinos last year.

Another Incheon ace, Angel Sanchez (34). Sanchez took the team’s ace with an average ERA of 2.62 and 148 strikeouts in 28 games, 17 wins, 5 losses, and 165 innings in 2019 while playing for SK Wyverns (now SSG). That year, he moved to the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), tied for second place in the KBO League, but failed to show as powerful pitching as he did in Korea, and challenges to enter the big league in San Diego.

Besides that, there is also Aaron Brooks (33), who played for the KIA Tigers. Brooks recorded an average ERA of 2.79 and 185 strikeouts in 229⅓ innings in 36 games over two years. He was loved by many KIA fans, but during the 2021 season, he received a notice of release from the club after it was discovered that he had purchased an e-cigarette with cannabis components detected.

Likewise, outfielder Preston Tucker (33), who played for KIA, is also aiming for a major league call-up from San Diego. Tucker played in the KBO League for three years from the 2019 to 2021 season and played an active part in the KIA’s central batting line. In particular, in 2020, he performed impressively with a batting average of 0.306 (166 hits in 542 at-bats), 32 home runs and 113 RBIs.

After playing for the Triple-A team under the Atlanta Braves last year, Tucker is aiming to advance to the big leagues once again. Tucker hasn’t played in the major leagues since the 2018 season. In the meantime, attention is focused on whether he will be able to face off with his younger brother Kyle Tucker (26, Houston Astros), who has been reborn as a major league star.

Foreign players who have had outstanding careers in the KBO League are challenging the big leagues. I wonder who will be able to seize the opportunity and step on the major league ground with Kim Ha-seong.