Hanwha Eagles’ new foreign hitter Brian O’Grady (31) is quickly integrating into the team.
On the 18th (Korean time), O’Grady, who met with News 1 at Bellbank Park in Mesa, Arizona, USA, where Hanwha’s spring camp was in progress, said, “Edison Russell (Kiwoom Heroes) and Deck McGuire (former Samsung Lions), who were close friends, were in the KBO League. I recommended it. I chose Hanwha because I thought I would get more opportunities to participate.”
After the end of last year’s season, 메이저사이트 Hanwha recruited O’Grady for a total of $900,000 (annual salary of $700,000 and incentives of $200,000).
In addition to being a power hitter who can expect more than 20 home runs in the KBO league, Hanwha has paid attention to O’Grady, a right-handed and left-handed hitter who can play all positions in the outfield.
Originally from Philadelphia, O’Gredi was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds with the 245th overall pick in the 8th round of the 2014 MLB Draft.
And five years later, in August 2019, he made his big league debut. In 28 games that year, he posted a batting average of 0.190, 2 home runs and 3 RBIs.
He has since played for the Tampa Bay Rays (in 2020) and the San Diego Padres (in 2021), but has failed to establish himself in MLB. His career record in the big leagues was a batting average of 0.184, 4 home runs and 12 RBIs in 62 games. His OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) was only 0.671.
However, the skill itself was not bad enough to record an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 90% for two consecutive seasons in Triple A in 2019 and 2021. Last year, he played for the Seibu Lions of the Nippon Professional Baseball, posting a batting average of 0.213, 15 homers and 46 RBIs in 123 games.
O’Gredi describes himself as “a good outfielder who is good at producing line-drive balls and can hit home runs. Even when defending, he is a good outfielder who pursues balls with an aggressive tendency.” introduced.
He continued, “I didn’t set a specific goal because there were many times when it didn’t work out if I set a numerical goal before the season.”
In 2020, O’Gredi lived with Choi Ji-man, albeit briefly, in Tampa Bay. In 2021, he wore the same jersey with Ha-Sung Kim in San Diego. Kim Ha-seong also recommended Hanwha as a ‘great player’ right before signing O’Grady.
O’Gredi said, “I practiced defending first base with Choi Ji-man at Tampa Bay. He has a very bright personality, so we got along well. I remember using the locker room close to Ha-sung Kim during spring camp.” Ha-seong Kim said good things about me. Thank you for doing it. I think it should be an example for the players.”
“I know that Hanwha has had bad grades in recent years, but seeing the training, all the players’ skills were good,” he said. “It is always necessary to have confidence before a game. It is important to have a routine for victory. We share our thoughts on it,” he said.
At the same time, he said, “I am looking forward to being able to enjoy Korean culture and baseball. Korean food also suits my mouth well.”