On the 9th, will the last player to replace KIA foreign batters

Aug 06, 2025

On the 9th, will the last player to replace KIA foreign batters
The match between KIA and Lotte at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 26th. Wisdom is striking out with the bases loaded with two outs in the top of the second inning. Busan = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.26/



Will the KIA Tigers, which are competing for the ranking, take the last chance to win. There are only nine days left.

KIA, which signed a 3 to 3 large trade with the NC Dinos ahead of the trade deadline, has started to strengthen its bullpen. He gave up two main outfielders Choi Won-joon and Lee Woo-sung and infielder Hong Jong-pyo, and recruited pitchers Kim Si-hoon, Han Jae-seung, and infielder Chung Hyeon-chang.

KIA has been using Kim Si-hoon and Han Jae-seung as key bullpen resources for the first team since the trade. Cho Sang-woo and Jung Hae-young have played so much since the beginning of the season, and other bullpen pitchers are also quite tired. It was an inevitable decision made as the bullpen's run rate soared in the second half of the game.




It is still too early to discuss the success or failure of the trade, but the effect of changing the atmosphere that KIA wanted seems certain. Since the trade, KIA benches have been using more diverse bullpen pitchers, and in the match against Lotte Giants in Busan on the 5th, the pitchers combined for a scoreless victory. It is definitely a meaningful victory.

On the 9th, will the last player to replace KIA foreign batters
KIA won 2-0 in a match between KIA and Lotte at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 5th. Jeon Sang-hyun, Kim Do-young and Wisdom are sharing their joy. Busan = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.08.05/
KIA, which rose to fourth place again with its victory on the 5th, is still in a position to be reassured. The gap with Lotte in third place has widened by five games. On top of that, KT Wiz is slightly ahead of fifth-place SSG Landers in winning percentage without a difference, and NC is closely trailing with a difference of 0.5 games and a difference of 1.5 games. There is only a 2.5 game gap between the fourth and eighth places.

In reality, if it is difficult for KIA to win the regular season, the most ideal goal is third or fourth. After advancing to the postseason, we should aim for a short-term game. To do that, we need the last winning move.




The trade market has already closed, and the only card left is foreign batter replacement. KIA, which opened with pitchers James Nail, Adam Oler and infielder Patrick Wisdom, has never replaced a foreign player this year.

He broke up with Socrates Brito, who shared the unified championship last year, and recruited Wisdom, a total 88-homer hitter in the Major League. It was the club's decision. However, Wisdom's batting performance is somewhat disappointing. He has a batting average of 251 for this season (73 hits in 291) with 22 homers and 54 RBIs. He ranks second in home runs in the league, but his other performances are not that noticeable. In the slugging percentage category alone, it ranks third with 0.540 percent.

On the 9th, will the last player to replace KIA foreign batters
The match between the KIA Tigers and the Hanwha Eagles at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 1st. KIA Wisdom is cheering after hitting a hit. Gwangju = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.08.01/
Still, Wisdom's advantages are certain. If you get caught, you'll move on. That's a long way off, too. He has great power and swing to blow away a ball entering his zone with a large ball, but it is true that other disadvantages are also noticeable. While he has 73 hits, he has 91 strikeouts.




In particular, the scoring batting average is only 0.209, and 14 out of 22 homers are solo homers. He hit his first grand slam against the Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon on the 8th, but all others are solo or two-run home runs. In the situation where there is a runner, the long shot does not explode.

His batting average rises to 299 when there is no runner, but falls to 216 when there is a runner. The slugging percentage also drops to 0.412. In the scoring position, it will be lower to 290.

Moreover, Wisdom's batting average since the start of the second half is only 163, with two home runs. The club also has no choice but to think about it. While Kim Do-young was out, he filled the defensive gap well with an alternative third baseman, but in the end, foreign hitters have no choice but to expect the ability to solve the chance situation, but it is true that it is regrettable in this part.

On the 9th, will the last player to replace KIA foreign batters
The match between the KIA Tigers and the Hanwha Eagles at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 2nd. KIA Wisdom is doing bunting training. Gwangju = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.08.02/
The KIA team is already moving. According to officials, KIA also approached Andrew Stevenson, who KT Wiz recently hired instead of Mel Rojas Jr. KT's contract with Stevenson failed, but there is still a possibility.

However, the timing is the problem. The recruitment must be completed by August 15, the deadline for foreign player registration, and the key is whether you can find a perfect replacement by then. There is not much time left until the end of the regular season, and there are still visa issuance and league adaptation problems after the contract. For new foreign hitters, the problem of ABS adaptation is also a formidable one.

There is also a sense of anxiety that if such a player is brought in, he may have a much worse performance than Wisdom. Recently, there have been rumors among officials that KIA is recruiting a batter from the top pick in the Major League, but it has been confirmed that he has not contacted Lee.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.