WHY PONSE? $30M Dangerous Gambling → Toronto Belief, This Is It
Dec 04, 2025
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The U.S. sports media 'The Athletic' analyzed why Toronto chose Ponce on the 4th (Korea time) 'Why Ponce'.
Earlier on the 3rd, Toronto signed Ponce, who has little major league experience, for three years and $30 million. This is the highest amount ever for a foreign pitcher who went straight from the KBO League to the Major League. It far exceeded the previous record of $15 million in two years.
The Athletic said 'Ponce will receive the highest salary among former major leaguers who returned from the KBO League. Ponce had a 7.04 ERA for Pittsburgh in 2021. If it was Ponce at the time, the Blue Jays would not have paid $30 million. But this time, it's completely different.
Ponce made his big league debut in 2020 in Pittsburgh. He recorded one win, one loss and a 3.18 ERA in 17 innings in five games (three starts). It showed potential, but it was sluggish the next year. He recorded a 7.04 ERA in 6 losses and 38 ⅓ innings without winning 15 games (two starts) in 2021.
Ponce entered the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in 2022. During the three years of the NPB, he was 10-16 with a 4.54 ERA.
Ponce spent his career best season with the Hanwha Eagles when he came to the KBO League in 2025. Ponce marked 17-1 with 252 strikeouts and a 1.89 ERA in 180 ⅔ innings in 29 games this year. He set a new record for most strikeouts in a season. He also won four gold medals with multiple strikeouts and an ERA. Finished as MVP.
The Athletic said Ponce was one of the most interesting pitchers in the FA market, having spent three seasons in Japan and one season in Hanwha, South Korea. His fastball speed increased by 2 miles (about 3.2 kilometers) from his time in the Major League Baseball. I added a splitter, which became his most powerful weapon, he explained.
Of course, KBO league performance does not guarantee success in the major leagues.
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The Athletic paid attention to the KBO's final season record.
The media reported 'Peddy and Kelly had strikeout-to-walk ratio of 16% and 24.6%, respectively. Ponce is 30.3 percent. It was the highest in the KBO League. It is a time when pitching data is more important than the ERA. Ponce won a significant contract and secured a spot in the rotation, according to the analysis.
However, Major League Trade Rumors (MTR), which specializes in the Major League transfer market, warned Ponce that investing more than $30 million is a significant risk.
MTR hasn't played since 2021 in the major leagues. In the past, he did not make clear results in the major leagues. He will be 32 years old as of April next year. There is a considerable risk of investing more than $30 million in such a pitcher.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
