Dreaming of super nights like the dinosaurs? Will there be another 20-win-200K guy?
“Just like Pedi did…”
The best pitcher in the KBO in 2023 was Eric Peddie, 30. In 30 games, he went 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA and struck out 209 batters in 180⅓ innings. He became the fifth pitcher since Seon Dong-yeol in 1986 to record 20 wins and 200 strikeouts in the same season.
Some questioned the wisdom of Peddy signing with the NC Dinos for the highest amount of money for a new foreign player ($1 million). Even with durability issues, he was a fifth-round pick of the Washington Nationals in 2021 and 2022. Although he only pitched one game in the postseason, Pedi proved that he wasn’t ready for the KBO.
MLBTrader.com reported on Thursday that “Peddie, a former top Washington prospect, will headline a list of players returning to the majors after pitching solidly in NC. The Washington Post’s Jesse Duggerty broke the news of the change in September.”
In other words, Pedi’s return to the majors is a certainty. The general consensus is that Peddie, like Ryu Hyun-jin (36), will return to the majors for a decent 4-5 year deal.
However, MLB Trade Rumors has a more interesting outlook. “Flipping the script, we expect several big-league peripherals to make the leap to the KBO in search of a notable seven-figure salary (in the $100 million range) and a change of scenery that will boost their stock and put them back on the path to a big-league roster, just as Peddy did in the majors.”
In other words, there will be more players like Pedi, who will use the KBO as a lever to get back into the major leagues. We already have one of the best reverse export stories from the KBO to the majors in Merrill Kelly (Arizona Diamondbacks).
There is a possibility that AAAA players who are in a precarious position due to injuries or poor performance will knock on the door of the KBO, but with the recent improvements in the minor leagues, there is a view that they are not necessarily in favor of moving to the KBO. What is clear is that KBO teams will be looking for a second pedigree.
There’s no need to explain the value and importance of a top foreign ace in the KBO. It is the first condition for winning the Korean Series. It’s 메이저토토사이트 very natural for the nine clubs that saw Pedi excel this season to say, “We want a foreign pitcher like Pedi, too.” It remains to be seen if there will be another pitcher in the KBO who destroys the ecosystem like Pedi.
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