It is also the season for foreign players to be replaced, as well as the beginning of a full-fledged heat wave.메이저놀이터
Two months have passed since the opening. If you stumble once in the process of entering the watershed of the ranking fight, you will fall down a thousand roads on that road. It is not easy to wait for the sluggishness of foreign players who have to play more than domestic players. This is why most teams break up with sluggish foreign players every May or June and look for replacements.
This trend continued this year as well. KT Wiz teamed up with William Cuevas again on the 9th. Cuevas, who left KT last year due to an injury, was in the starting rotation in Oklahoma City, a minor league (Triple A) affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers this season. Cuevas returns to Korea on the 12th and meets KT players again.
It was not easy for foreign players who left the Korean stage to make a comeback. Various factors such as long-term injuries and skill limitations come together. However, since last year, the trend has subtly changed. Dan Strayley, who broke up with the Lotte Giants after the 2021 season, joined as a substitute last year. Raul Alcantara, who left the Hanshin Tigers (Japan) before this season, joined hands with the Doosan Bears again.
The 2023 KBO League Lotte Giants and KIA Tigers match was held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 2nd. Lotte Strayley. Busan = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com/2023.06.02/
This trend has nothing to do with the situation in the US, which is a foreign market. After entering the era of endemic, big league teams that are running their teams normally are working hard to secure as many pools as possible, so so-called AAAA players who can aim for Asia are not appearing in the market. In a situation where there is no immediate answer, it is not possible to leave the foreigner gap as it is. This is why former KBO leaguers who are familiar with the Korean culture and environment and have achieved their own results in the league without requiring a separate adaptation process can occupy the top of the list. Strayley (ranked 1st in strikeouts in the 2020 season) and Alcantara (ranked 1st in strikeouts in the 2020 season) have individual title awards, and Cuevas is a player who contributed to KT’s combined victory in the 2021 season. worth the quality
In addition to KT, several teams are still moving to supply replacement players, and some teams have vacant foreign player positions due to prior waiver announcements. A prime example is that several domestic teams approached him before Cuevas signed with KT. Given the current trend in the US market, it is worth looking forward to the birth of another U-turn player.