He's a pitcher who only worked in Korea… Criticism has emerged against Ponce, who has skyrocketed in ransom. Do you suspect the KBO League level?

Dec 03, 2025

He's a pitcher who only worked in Korea… Criticism has emerged against Ponce, who has skyrocketed in ransom. Do you suspect the KBO League level?
The game between the Hanwha Eagles and the LG Twins in Game 3 of the Korean Series at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 29th. Hanwha Ponce is pitching hard. Daejeon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.10.29/



'30-40 million dollars? Crazy. Who's taking you?'

Cody Ponce, who appeared like a comet in the KBO League Hanwha Eagles this season, completely dominated the league and led Hanwha to the Korean Series for the first time in 26 years, is seeking to return to the Major League Baseball (MLB). The response in the U.S. is as hot as a furnace.

Major media such as MLB.COM and 'The Athletic' continue to pour out a variety of analysis and forecast articles on Ponce's MLB re-challenge. At the same time, Ponce's estimated ransom also exploded. When Ponce, which was originally mentioned as an average annual salary of $7 to $8 million, entered the FA market in earnest, it is now expected to soar to $30 to $40 million (about 44.1 to 58.8 billion won). It is thanks to the prowess of the MVP and the four-time KBO League champion (multiple wins, ERA, winning percentage, and strikeouts). This is the result of adding the learning effect of Merrill Kelly (Texas Rangers), a 'reverse export success case'.




He's a pitcher who only worked in Korea… Criticism has emerged against Ponce, who has skyrocketed in ransom. Do you suspect the KBO League level?
The match between Samsung and Hanwha in the fifth round of the PO held at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 24th, and Ponce struck out Diaz in the top of the fifth inning and cheered for fans in the stands. Daejeon = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.10.24/
However, it was immediately pointed out that Ponce's evaluation is being overestimated. In particular, when analyzing Ponce's career in reality, it is pointed out that 'AAV 30-$40 million' is an excessively inflated amount.

Major League Trade Rumors (MBLTR) will turn 32 next year on the 2nd (Korea time). In particular, I have never thrown in the MLB since 2021, and I have never played properly even when I was in the MLB. It is very risky to give such a pitcher a contract worth more than 30 million dollars.

Prior to this, The Athletic and MLB.COM have the possibility of winning a contract of at least $30 million to up to $40 million in phone tax. In the past, Eric Peddy (former NC Dinos) is likely to sign a better contract than the two-year-15 million dollars he received when he returned, and MLBTR criticized this prospect.




Given Ponce's career, these practical concerns seem quite reasonable.

He's a pitcher who only worked in Korea… Criticism has emerged against Ponce, who has skyrocketed in ransom. Do you suspect the KBO League level?
Cody Ponce during the Pittsburgh Pirates. ImagesYonhap News
First, Ponce was a common bullpen 'defeat treatment tank' when he was in MLB. Ponce, who was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers as the 55th overall pick in the second round of the 2015 MLB draft, pitched only 55 ⅓ innings in a total of 20 games (five starts) as a bullpen pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2020-2021 season. He was 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA in 2020 and had only six losses in 2021 without a win. The ERA was 7.04. The ERA for two seasons was 5.86, and the strikeouts were 48, below one per inning.

You can't hold out in the MLB with this grade. Eventually, Ponce moved to the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and continued his career. But even in Japan, he wasn't such an overwhelming pitcher. He played in 39 games in three seasons for the Nippon Ham Fighters in the 2022-2023 season and the Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2024, pitching 202 innings, recording a career record of 10 wins, 16 losses and ERA 4.54.




In the end, Ponce showed overwhelming power only once in the 2025 season. It is also a result of 'KBO League only'.

He's a pitcher who only worked in Korea… Criticism has emerged against Ponce, who has skyrocketed in ransom. Do you suspect the KBO League level?
The 2025 KBO Award Ceremony was held at Lotte Hotel in Songpa-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 24th. Ponce, who was named MVP, is delighted. Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.11.24/
This suggests one or the other. One is that Ponce has been transformed into a special starter at a completely different level starting with his success in the KBO League this year. The AAV between $30 and $40 million comes from this valuation. The average fastball speed has significantly increased compared to the MLB days, and the positive theory is reflected that the same power can be maintained even if it returns to MLB as it is completely equipped with a second type of pitch called a splitter.

He's a pitcher who only worked in Korea… Criticism has emerged against Ponce, who has skyrocketed in ransom. Do you suspect the KBO League level?
KBO League SSG and Hanwha at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on October 1st. Hanwha Ponce, who is pitching as a starter. Incheon = Song Jeong-heon, reporter song@sportschosun.com
On the other hand, on the other side of this infinite positivity theory, there is a cold evaluation of '2025 season, KBO League limited performance'. Analysts say Ponce, who has never played a special role since his professional debut, was lucky this year to have only played "Twinkle" in the KBO League, where hitters are lower than MLB or NPB. It means the composition that the fox served as king in a mountain without a tiger.

From this point of view, Ponce is a very high-risk pitcher. When he returns to MLB and takes over the starting rotation, there is a high possibility that he will not be able to exert the same power as he did in the '2025 KBO League'. This is because the power of MLB hitters is overwhelming compared to KBO league hitters. Ponce's restraint and breaking ball are obviously 'special' in the KBO League, but they are common in MLB. MLBTR is pointing out this very point.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.