Ahead of the game against SSG Landers, a new family member stood in front of a team of players gathered in the locker room. The star was Eric Stout, a left-hander who was wearing the uniform of the Central Brothers of the Taiwanese professional baseball league until a day earlier. Stout signed an annual salary of 45,000 U.S. dollars as a substitute for Kia Tigers pitcher James Nail. Right after the signing, he meets with the team to greet each other for the first time.
At the meeting, Stout said something unexpected. He mentioned how his replacement is doing. “He was worried about his nails as a greeting. I felt that he was touched by something but also had a good heart,” said Lee Bum-ho, Kia’s manager.
Stout, a left-hander, had six wins and five losses and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.28 in 12 games last year while wearing a mid-body uniform. He renewed his contract this year and pitched 113 ⅔ innings in 19 games, recording 10 wins and five losses and an ERA of 2.77. While giving up 27 walks, he garnered 109 strikeouts. His record ranks third with multiple wins and fourth with strikeouts in the CPBL.
Stout, who was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 13th round of the 2014 Rookie Draft, entered the big league for the first time in the 2018 season. In the 2022 season, he played 22 ⅓ innings in 20 games as a bullpen pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, and played for the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates in the same year. After playing for Triple-A in the Minor League last year, he joined Jungshin, and started his bid for the Asian league. His overall performance in the big leagues is 16 wins, 12 losses and 14 saves in 24 ⅔ innings, and an earned run average (ERA) of 7.30.
Kia boasts fastballs, sweepers, cutters, and changeups ranging from mid to late 140 kilometers. In addition, it has outstanding strikeout capabilities, posting 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings in Triple-A and 9.3 per nine innings in the CPBL, the highest strikeout rate in the CPBL. “Based on the video, he seems to have a similar type of fastball or pitching motion to Heysus,” Lee said. “He pitched neatly without any unusual movements as Mario Sanchez did last year (who came from Taiwan).”
“Thank you for giving me a chance to throw in the KBO League and KIA. I will do my best while I am in the KBO League,” Stout said. “I think I know very well that our team is in a very important situation.”
The date of Stout’s appearance has yet to be determined. He signed a contract with Kia Motors, but still has issues with getting a work visa. He will participate in team training from Friday to prepare himself and wait for his visa. “The number of pitches he threw in the game on Sunday (against the Rakuten Monkeys, nine hits in five innings, one homer, no four strikeouts, six strikeouts, four runs and two earned runs) was reportedly 100. As scheduled, today or tomorrow was the day of his appearance. Since he has maintained innings and throws, even if he checks the bullpen, he will be able to check the mound in the KBO league,” Lee said. “We have to wait and see how the visa is issued. If it is issued as soon as possible, I will have to consult with him and set a date after pitching in the bullpen,” Lee said.
BY: 토토사이트 모음