There are currently 30 foreign-born athletes playing in the Korea Baseball Organization League. From left are LG Twins pitcher David Huff, SK Wyverns ace pitcher Merrill Kelly and Kia Tigers starter Hector Noesi. / Yonhap



A prolific, competitive league but with fewer opportunities for local players

By Kang Hyun-kyung

"The SK Wyverns got all the luck."

This is how baseball analysts describe the club's successful renewal of its contract with ace pitcher Merrill Kelly last year for a mere 850,000 dollars annual paycheck.

Although Kelly is one of the top-ranked pitchers in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League, his annual income falls far below those of other top-tier foreign-born players. Doosan Bears ace pitcher Dustin Nippert renewed his 2.1-million contract with his team last year, while David Huff's one-year contract with the LG Twins was 1.4 million dollars.

Kelly has won nine games and lost three this season so far. He leads the league in strikeouts with 103. His ERA is 3.44, slightly higher than those of his rivals on other clubs, including last year's MVP, Nippert.

"There's no question Kelly is the most cost-effective foreign-born player in the KBO League," said An Chi-yong, a baseball analyst for KBS Sports. "His annual income is less than 1 million, but his performance this season has been as great as that of other top-tier foreign-born pitchers."

A third-year KBO leaguer, Kelly used to be called by baseball fans "Kelly Cries" in his early years in the league, as the team's relatively weaker bullpen prevented him from earning more wins.

Last year, for example, he pitched in 33 games, 22 of which were what baseball experts here call "quality starts," which means the pitcher allowed only three or fewer RBI hits all throughout the six or more innings he pitched.

Kelly failed to earn double-digit wins last year because he didn't get full support from hitters on his team or from his replacements on the mound. His score sheet last year didn't reflect how he actually pitched, but it seemed to have affected the income in his contract with his team.

The fans' taunting with "Kelly Cries" continued until early April this season.

The foreign-born pitcher had his season's first win on April 18, over two weeks after the opening games on March 31.

In the game against the Nexen Heroes, Kelly pitched seven and 2/3 innings and allowed only four RBI hits in the 104 balls he threw. He struck out nine Heroes hitters, and the highest-velocity ball he threw that day was 151 kilometers per hour. His team won 7-4.

But Kelly could have had his season's first win in an earlier game.

During the Wyverns-Lotte Giants game on April 12, Kelly left the mound after pitching eight scoreless innings, during which he allowed only six scattered hits and one walk. He struck out 11 Giants and left the mound while his team led 1-0. The Wyverns, however, lost the game, as the Giants caused an upset after Kelly was replaced.

In the face of such unfortunate games, he didn't blame his teammates but rather put his team first and congratulated the player who hit the homer that day. His attitude drew praise from his teammates and baseball fans.

Baseball analyst An, a retired player who had played for the Twins and Wyverns, cited Kelly as one of the spectacular foreign-born players in the KBO League.

Other pitchers he mentioned as having great attitudes both on-field and off are the Bears ace pitcher Nippert, Kia Tigers ace pitcher Hector Noesi and Twins starter David Huff. Noesi won 11 games with no defeats in the 14 games he had pitched this season and is said to be the indisputable top pitcher in the league. Huff has won two complete games this season, and his ERA is 3.11 so far.

On the hitters side, An said Samsung Lions slugger Darin Ruf, Hanwha Eagles first baseman Wilkin Rosario and Kia Tigers outfielder Roger Bernadina are three players who play very well and have successfully adjusted to the KBO League.

Ruf has produced 14 home runs so far, including a grand slam in a game against the Eagles last week, and his RBI is 49. Eagles Rosario dominated the sports articles in mid-June after scoring a record eight home runs in three games against the KT Wiz.

There are currently 30 foreign-born athletes playing in the league.

For baseball clubs, the recruitment of foreign-born players is a high-risk, high-return game because not all high-paid foreign-born players perform as great as expected. Baseball clubs' lavish spending on foreign-born players sometimes turn out to be a blind investment.

Last year, KBO clubs spent 10 percent of their annual budgets on acquiring foreign-born players. The Eagles made the most lavish investment to acquire foreign-born players, spending 4.8 million to sign contracts with three Dominican-born players — hitter Rosario (1.5 million) and pitchers Alexi Ogando (1.8 million) and Carlos Villanueva (1.5 million).

Compared to the Eagles, the Wyverns didn't invest much in foreign players.

This season in the KBO League, we're seeing the results of the Wyverns' cost-effective strategy compared to the Eagles' exorbitant one.

The two teams' current league standings show a discrepancy between their investments and performances. The Eagles are currently eighth in the 10-club league.

The Wyverns, meanwhile, are in third, which is remarkable considering the club was described by analysts as one of the teams that may face difficulty advancing to the five-member post-season games.

The Giants are another club that has made blind investments in foreign-born baseball players. Last year, the club signed two foreign-born starters but their performances during this season were not as good as those of foreign-born starters on other teams.

Since 1998, when they first joined the KBO League, foreign-born athletes have made the league more prolific and competitive than ever. Tyrone Woods, the slugger of the OB Bears, now the Doosan Bears, became the first foreign-born player to win the MVP Award in 1998 after hitting a then record 42 home runs.

His single season homerun record was broken in 2002 when Samsung Lions slugger Lee Seung-yuop hit 56 homers during the season, a record that still stands.

Radhames Liz, who played for the LG Twins from 2011 to 2014, stunned Korean hitters with his high-velocity pitches of 160 kilometers per hour, which was unprecedented in the KBO League. During the 2013 season, Liz led the league with 188 strikeouts.

In 2015, then NC Dinos outfielder Eric Thames, who now plays for the Milwaukee Brewers, became the first and only KBO Leaguer to become a 40-40 club member, with 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases during the season.

The presence of competitive foreign-born players, who played in the Major Leagues in the United States prior to joining the KBO League, has encouraged Korean-born players to upgrade their baseball skills.

Yet despite their contributions, some worry about KBO clubs' lavish spending on foreign-born players, which they believe would inevitably result in fewer opportunities for Korean-born players.

In March, the Korea Professional Baseball Players Association put forth a 10-point proposal for the management of the 10 KBO clubs.

It includes lowering the quota for foreign-born players on each club's roster, as such players pose a threat to the livelihoods of Korean-born players.