Outfielder Jurickson Profar (30), who came out as a free agent from the San Diego Padres but has no contract, joined the Netherlands World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team as a surprise.
On the 26th (hereafter Korean time), Profar appeared at Salt River Field at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, where a practice match between the Netherlands and the LG Twins of the KBO League was held. He warmed up lightly by batting drills in a Dutch orange training suit.
After last year’s season, Profar gave up his $7.5 million salary in 2023 and earned free agency status. He came to the market after receiving a buyout of 1 million dollars from San Diego, but has not yet found a team even at the end of February after spring training began.
Profar, a switch hitter from Curacao in the Netherlands, is a top-class prospect and is a utility player capable of both inside and outside the field. He debuted with the Texas Rangers in 2012, then passed through the Oakland Athletics and played in San Diego for the last three years from 2020.
In the 9 major league seasons, his career record was 836 games, batting average of .238, 648 hits, 78 homers, 313 RBIs, OPS .708. He’s not the best prospect, but he’s established himself as a starter, posting a .723 OPS with 140 hits, 15 home runs, and 58 RBIs in 152 games for San Diego last year.
After becoming a free agent, there were rumors with various teams such as the Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, and New York Yankees, but they did not lead to a contract. He’s not an easy figure to get the $7.5 million he could have gotten in San Diego had he not opted out.
In this situation, Profar joined the Dutch WBC national team. On this day, against LG, I only warmed up my body while training lightly. The WBC could be a good opportunity for Profar to increase the value of his existence and get a good contract.
Profar has participated in the Dutch national team twice in the WBC in 2013 and 2017. The Netherlands is a European baseball powerhouse that beat Korea in the group stage of two consecutive tournaments. In this tournament, Taiwan, Cuba, the Netherlands, and Italy belong to Group A and can meet Korea in Group B in the quarterfinals. 메이저사이트
Meanwhile, Kim Ha-seong (27, San Diego Padres) made a surprise visit to the stadium that day and drew attention. On that day, San Diego’s team went to an exhibition match with the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, but Kim Ha-seong stayed in Peoria and trained with key players. He finished training in the morning and came over to Scottsdale with friends in the afternoon.
Kim Ha-seong, who came to greet LG coach Yeom Gyeong-yeop, who was his mentor during the Heroes days, met a welcome face in the Dutch national team. For the past two years, I had a good time meeting Propa, whom I had eaten together in San Diego. Ha-seong Kim answered a question about Pro Par during the postseason last year, “It’s a family-like relationship. He is always fun and a good friend.”