Kiwoom Recruiting Mercedes from Yomiuri Jiba Lotte...Expectations for Alcantara and One Two Punch in the Second Half
Jul 30, 2025
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Kiwoom requested the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to announce foreign pitcher Kenny Rosenberg's waivers on the 30th, while recruiting C.C. Mercedes (31) for a total of 280,000 dollars (including transfer fees).
Mercedes, a Dominican Republic native, began his professional career in 2012 by signing an international amateur contract with the Tampa Bay Rays in Major League Baseball.
After that, he moved to the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese professional baseball league in 2017 and began his Asian baseball career. He played 709 ⅓ in seven seasons with the Yomiuri and Chiba Lotte Marines, recording 37 wins and 44 losses with a 3.10 ERA.
In the 2025 season, Tuong of Taiwan's professional baseball league pitched in 14 games as a member of the Lions, recording 6 wins and 3 losses with a 2.57 ERA.
Mercedes is a left-hander with a physique of 1m88 and 82kg. He can use various pitches such as fastball, curveball, slider, and change-up, and his strength is his ability to manage the game and stable control.
Kiwoom's general manager Huh Seung-pil said, `Mercedes is a pitcher with extensive experience in Asian baseball as a player who played in Japan and Taiwan. I think I will be able to adapt quickly to the KBO league as well. "As he has shown stable innings ability while playing as a starting pitcher for a long time in Japan, I expect it to add stability to the starting lineup."
Mercedes will join the team as early as August after completing administrative procedures such as issuing visas.
Lachlan Wells, who replaced Kenny Rosenberg's injury, politely declined the club's offer to extend his contract and returned to Australia. With Mercedes' recruitment, Kiwoom used all the foreign substitution rights this season. Alcantara-Mercedes one-two punch and batter Cadenas will run the remainder of the season.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
