Foreign pitcher Brandon Waddell (29, registered name Brandon, Rakuten Monkeys), who played for the Doosan Bears last year, is returning to the KBO for the first time in less than a year. But he doesn’t look the same. Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop (47), who met Brandon when he was a commentator, also expressed his excitement.메이저놀이터
“I heard that an agreement has been reached (with Brandon), and I think he will be able to play by the end of this month at the latest,” Lee said ahead of Doosan’s 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League regular-season home game against the KIA Tigers at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on 9 September. “I think Brandon is the best option among the replacement foreign players we can choose now because he experienced the KBO League last year and pitched well,” Lee said.
Doosan placed Dylan Pyle on waivers after he injured his elbow on the 8th, and a day later this morning, news broke that the team was close to re-signing Brandon from last year.
Brandon was called up to the big leagues in 2020 and bounced between the Pittsburgh Pirates, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, and St. Louis Cardinals until 2021. He made his KBO debut last year as a replacement for Ariel Miranda. In 11 games, he went 5-3 with a 3.60 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 65 innings, but was not re-signed.
At the time, Lee wasn’t particularly impressed. “I watched the video and I wasn’t that impressed when he threw last year,” he said, “but I watched it (again) and he’s up to 150 mph and he’s got a great changeup. He can throw any type of pitch for a strike, and he’s experienced Korean baseball, so I don’t think it will take him long to adjust.”
Last year’s disappointing performance was attributed to his lack of starting experience. “Last year, I didn’t have much experience as a starting pitcher, but this year, I pitched well in Taiwan for about 10 games, so I don’t think there’s any problem at all, and if he can pitch like he did in the KBO last year, I think it will be a big boost for us,” Lee said encouragingly.
He expressed his gratitude to the club, saying, “I think the club moved quickly, so the progress was faster.”