South Korean high school baseball prospect Cho Won-bin has inked a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals, months after pulling out of the domestic league draft in pursuit of an American dream. Cho was one of 12 international free agent signings announced by the Cardinals on Saturday (US local time). He is the first Asian amateur to sign with the Cardinals. Cho, set to graduate from Seoul Convention High School, had been regarded as a strong candidate to be selected during the territorial portion o

Former manager Youm Kyoung-youb was named the new technical director for South Korean baseball Friday, with his main task being assembling the national team for this year's Asian Games. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said Youm will soon fill out the rest of the technical committee and take scouting trips through KBO clubs' spring training starting next month. Youm, 53, previously managed the Nexen Heroes and SK Wyverns in the KBO and also worked as general manager of the Wyverns. The K

Doosan Bears' sidearm pitcher Choi Won-joon likes to live high in the strike zone. He threw his fastball about 58 percent of the time last year, and about 40 percent of those pitches sat in the top of the zone. Until last year, Choi wasn't always getting strike calls on those pitches. But things are expected to change this upcoming season, with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) set out to expand the zone. Umpires have been asked to start calling strikes on those high pitches, and that's mus

After winning their first Korean Series title in 2020, the NC Dinos missed out on the postseason altogether in 2021. They became the first Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club in 11 years to miss the playoffs in their title-defending season. Then came a massive overhaul in the offseason. The Dinos let their franchise icon Na Sung-bum walk via free agency and either traded or released several others who had been with the club since Day 1 in 2013. And they signed a pair of big-name free agents

Despite losing three starting pitchers to injuries midseason, the SSG Landers came within a game of making the postseason in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) last year. But their manager Kim Won-hyong isn't settling for any moral victories. Dropping the regular season finale to the eventual champions KT Wiz cost the Landers a postseason spot, and the loss still gnaws at Kim, who is now entering his second year as the bench boss. "We missed out on the playoffs after losing the last ga

The Kia Tigers signed former major league pitcher Sean Nolin on Sunday, filling up their foreign player quota for 2022 with three new faces. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club said Nolin has agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $900,000. He will make $350,000 in guaranteed salary and $250,000 in signing bonus, with up to $300,000 also available in incentives. Nolin, 32, appeared in 18 major league games for three clubs: two with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2013 and 2014, six with the Oak

GWANGJU -- For Choi Hyoung-woo, the 38-year-old outfielder for the Kia Tigers, the 2021 season wasn't any fun. But the veteran is confident that things will be far different in the new season. In 2021, the Tigers missed the postseason in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) for the third straight season. And Choi endured his least productive full season as a pro; his .233 batting average, .375 slugging percentage, 12 home runs and 55 RBIs were all Choi's worst numbers since he became an everyd

After winning their 11th Korean Series title in 2017, the Kia Tigers snuck into the postseason in 2018 and then missed the party in each of the next three years. And their new manager, Kim Jong-kook, said Thursday he will look to end the drought in 2022. "We have improved our squad with some aggressive investments in the offseason, and I will make sure these efforts will not go to waste," Kim said at his inaugural press conference in Gwangju, the home city of the Tigers located some

The new regular season for South Korean professional baseball will open April 2, the league office announced Thursday. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said its 10 clubs will each play 144 games, per usual, starting the first weekend of April. The top five clubs from the 2020 season will host the two-game series on the opening weekend. The matchups are: the Hanwha Eagles against the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul; the Lotte Giants versus the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky

The Doosan Bears announced Wednesday they have signed former major league pitcher Robert Stock, pairing the hard-throwing right-hander with the reigning MVP Ariel Miranda in the rotation. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club said Stock has agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $700,000. He will earn $400,000 in guaranteed salary and $100,000 in signing bonus. He can make an additional $200,000 in incentives. Stock, 32, was a second-round choice by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2009 majo

The Kiwoom Heroes announced Thursday they will bring back starter Eric Jokisch for his fourth season in South Korea. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club said Jokisch, 32, has agreed to a new one-year deal worth $1.3 million. He made $900,000 this year. Jokisch tied for the KBO lead with 16 wins in 2021, while ranking second with 181 1/3 innings pitched and fourth with a 2.93 ERA. He won the ERA title in 2020. Since 2019, his first in the KBO, Jokisch has posted the league's lowest ERA

The South Korean baseball champions KT Wiz announced Thursday they will bring back both of their foreign starting pitchers for next year. The Wiz said they have signed right-handers Odrisamer Despaigne and William Cuevas to new one-year deals. Despaigne, 34, can earn a maximum $1.35 million, with $1.1 million in salary and signing bonus, plus up to $250,000 in incentives. The 31-year-old Cuevas can earn as much as $1.1 million won -- $1 million in salary and signing bonus, and a maximum $100,0

After a whirlwind of offseason transactions, there will be some familiar players in unfamiliar uniforms in South Korean baseball in 2022. Players who had spent over a decade with one team have moved on to other clubs -- to chase an elusive championship ring and, if they're being honest, boatloads of money. Park Byung-ho, who won two regular season MVPs with the Kiwoom Heroes, on Wednesday became the latest franchise icon to switch teams this month. He signed a three-year, 3 billion won (US$2.5

The reigning South Korean baseball champions KT Wiz re-signed its free agent third baseman Hwang Jae-gyun on Monday. The Wiz said Hwang agreed to a four-year deal worth 6 billion won ($5.1 million). He will earn 2.9 billion won in total salary, 2.5 billion won in signing bonus and up to 600 million won in incentives. Hwang's previous four-year contract, valued at 8.8 billion won, expired at the end of the 2021 season. As captain of the Wiz in 2021, Hwang batted .291/.358/.402 with 10 home run

The Kia Tigers announced their signings of two new foreign players on Monday, adding a former major league outfielder and a career minor league pitcher to their roster. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club inked outfielder Socrates Brito to a one-year contract at $900,000. The 29-year-old from the Dominican Republic will get $500,000 in salary, $100,000 in signing bonus and up to $300,000 in incentives. Ronnie Williams, a 25-year-old right-hander from Miami, agreed to a one-year deal at