Right-handed pitcher Eric Peddie, 30, who is returning to the United States after playing for the NC in the KBO, is attracting interest from Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, according to local media.
Pedi started 30 games in the NC this year, going 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA in 180.1 innings pitched, with a 29.5 percent strikeout rate, a 4.9 percent walk rate, and a 70 percent ground ball rate, according to the New York Post.
Considering that major league pitchers had a 42.5 percent ground ball rate this year, Pedi’s performance was good enough to earn the KBO’s Cy Young Award, which recognizes the best starting pitcher of the year.굿모닝토토 도메인
After going 21-33 with a 5.41 ERA in six years in the big leagues in the U.S., Peddy has turned his career around in Korea. This season, he became just the fifth pitcher in the KBO to record 20 wins and 200 strikeouts in a season, while also becoming the league’s all-time leader in wins, ERA, and strikeouts (209).
Citing the examples of Arizona starting pitcher Merrill Kelly, Chris Flexen (formerly of Doosan) and Josh Lindblom (formerly of Doosan-Rhodes) as prime examples of players who have been exported from the KBO to the MLB, MLBTrader.com predicted that Pedi’s stellar performance this year would attract the attention of many teams.
Given that Kelly earned $5.5 million over two years, Lindblom earned $9.125 million over three years with incentives, and Flexen earned $4.75 million over two years with options when he returned to the U.S. after his stint in South Korea, the publication believes Pedi could earn more than that, but he won’t be able to match the contract guarantees of the top pitchers.