I went to a sports card event and I met some friends there. When the event almost came to an end, a friend indicated that he saw a message. The message mentioned Matt Manning’s signing with the Samsung Lions, a team from KBO league in Korea. Then, he explained that he has 1 or 2 Matt Manning autograph cards. And I said that I had one as well.
After the event, I began to think about some players who used to pitch in the KBO league and later on, they came back to America and pitched in the majors. During their days in Korea, how well did they pitch? After signing a contract with a team in the majors, did they pitch well?
The first name that comes out of my mind is Josh Lindblom. I saw him when he was with the Dodgers. His journeys in Korea were quite different. At first, he pitched for Lotte Giants in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, he made 32 starts for the Lotte Giants, posting a 3.56 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP over 210 innings. That season, he got 13 wins and took 11 losses. In 2016, Lindblom made 30 starts. He earned 10 wins but took 13 losses with an ERA over 5. In December 2016, he signed with the Pirates. In 2017, he threw 10.1 innings for the Pirates and was released in July. Then he came to Korea again. In 2017, Lindblom made 12 starts for the Lotte Giants. He finished the season with 5 wins and 3 losses, posting a 3.72 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. In 2018 and 2019, he was surely one of the best pitchers in the KBO. In 2018, he pitched for the Doosan Bears, posting a 2.88 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP over 168.2 innings. He made 26 starts and got 15 wins. In 2019, Lindblom made 30 starts for the Bears. He owned a 2.50 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP over 194.2 innings. Lindblom got 20 wins in 2019. He won the Choi Dong-won award (top pitcher award) in each of these 2 seasons and won the KBO league MVP in 2019. In December 2019, he signed with the Brewers. In 2020, Lindblom made 10 starts and 2 relief appearances for the Brewers. He tossed 45.1 innings, but his ERA was over 5. In 2021, he threw 16.2 innings for the Brewers and his ERA was over 9.
Moreover, Merrill Kelly pitched for the SK Wyverns from 2015 to 2018. In these 4 seasons, he made 118 starts and 1 relief appearance. Kelly threw 729.2 innings with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. In December 2018, he decided to ink a deal with the D-backs. Kelly made his MLB debut on April 1, 2019. From 2019 to 2025, he pitched for the D-backs and the Rangers. In total, he has made 172 starts in the majors, posting a 3.77 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP over 1008.1 innings. He’s now a free agent.
In addition, Chris Flexen made his MLB debut in 2017. He pitched for the Mets from 2017 to 2019. In 2020, he pitched for Doosan Bears. He made 21 starts, posting a 3.01 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP over 116.2 innings. In December 2020, he signed with the Mariners. From 2021 to 2025, he already tossed 600+ innings in the majors.
Furthermore, Erick Fedde made his MLB debut in 2017. He pitched for the Nationals from 2017 to 2022. In 2023, he pitched for the NC Dinos. He had a fantastic season in Korea. Fedde made 30 starts, posting a 2.00 ERA and a 0.05 WHIP over 180.1 innings. He earned 20 wins. Also, he won the Choi Dong-won award and the KBO MVP. In December 2023, he signed with the White Sox. Over the last 2 seasons, he pitched for the White Sox, the Cardinals, the Braves and the Brewers. And, another pitcher pitched well in the NC Dinos uniform. Kyle Hart made his MLB debut in 2020. In 2024, he pitched for the NC Dinos, posting a 2.69 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP over 157 innings. He got 13 wins and won the Choi Dong-won award. Hart agreed to a deal with the Padres in February and threw 43 innings for the Padres in 2025.
Finally, Ryan Weiss and Cody Ponce were playing for the Hanwha Eagles. Ryan Weiss made 16 starts for the Eagles in 2024, posting a 3.73 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP over 91.2 innings. In 2025, he owned a 2.87 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP over 178.2 innings. At the same time, Ponce had a great 2025 season with the Eagles. He made 29 starts, posting a 1.89 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP over 180.2 innings. He won the Choi Dong-won award and the KBO MVP. Weiss just inked a deal with the Astros and Ponce is going to join the Blue Jays. Previously, Ponce pitched for the Pirates in 2020 and 2021. In total, he threw 55.1 innings, posting a 5.86 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. Weiss hasn’t made his MLB debut. Also, Drew Anderson made his MLB debut in 2017. From 2017 to 2021, he tossed 44.1 innings in the majors. He didn’t pitch in the majors in 2022 and 2023. In 2024 and 2025, he pitched for the SSG Landers of the KBO. In total, he made 53 starts and 1 relief appearance, posting 2.91 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP over 287.1 innings. Recently, the Tigers reached a deal with him.
Looking at these players’ stories, it certainly has shown that there are many possibilities to ink an MLB deal. Sometimes, making a change isn’t a bad thing. Merrill Kelly’s story might be the most interesting one. He didn’t make it into the big leagues before coming to Korea. Nonetheless, after spending several seasons in the KBO, the D-backs front office surely noticed him. He later on made his MLB debut and even pitched in the World Series. Hence, for Matt Manning, it’s important to see whether he can improve his stuff and consistently perform well in Korea. In the meantime, there are other players who used to pitch in the majors and just inked a deal with a KBO team. Let’s see if they will make an instant impact in 2026.
No comments:
Post a Comment