The NC Dinos have begun planning for the 2025 season. Will the re-signing of foreign players be as expected?
NC recently appointed Lee Ho-joon as head coach, and the team can now accelerate its preparations for the new season. While the team is not expected to make any major free agent signings, they have a policy in place for re-signing foreign players.
First, the team will re-sign ‘ace’ Kyle Hart and ‘home run king’ Matt Davidson. Hart is a pitcher who satisfactorily filled the void left by 20-win ace Eric Peddy last year. In 26 appearances this season, he posted a 13-3 record with a 2.69 ERA, and his first-half pace was the best among all 10 clubs’ foreign pitchers.
Hart, who was consistently in contention for first and second place in the major records, even going as far as winning three or more pitching titles, had to settle for one strikeout title in the end, but he is an unquestionable candidate for re-signing.
The key will be his health.
A cold and its aftermath kept him out of action for nearly a month in the second half of the season, and a series of smaller injuries, including a sore hamstring, kept him from pitching normally in the second half. His performance declined. In the last two games of the season, he allowed three runs in three innings and six runs in six innings. If Hart is re-signed, his health will be the most important factor for next season. There is no doubt about his pitching ability.
The same goes for Davidson, the ‘Home Run King’. 토토사이트 He hit 46 home runs this season, the only player in the league to hit more than 40. He’s used his failures in NPB to his advantage.
Despite some ups and downs, and a particularly weak showing in scoring position (.255 batting average with runners in scoring position), there’s no denying that Davidson, the league’s most prolific home run hitter, created an umbrella effect that helped NC climb back to second in team home runs (172).
The organization has a clear policy for re-signing Hart and Davidson.
The variable is going overseas. In Hart’s case, major league clubs were watching with interest. Although the scouts have not been as active as they were when Peddie was in NC, it is likely that he will receive some offers.
As new manager Lee Ho-joon said, “I would rather have Hart stay than sign an outside free agent.” The team needs Hart to anchor the starting lineup. If he stays after negotiating his terms, it will be the end of the most important point of the power plan for NC.
However, there is a question mark over Eric Yokishi, who spent the end of the season with the team. Yokishi, who has been training privately without a team, had a tryout with the Doosan Bears and was signed by NC as a replacement for Daniel Castano after the tryout fell through.
His record in eight games for the NC is 3-4 with a 5.72 ERA. He has had some disappointing starts due to a variety of factors, including ABS adjustment issues, weather delays, and a lack of practice, but he has shown improvement with each start.
He even won three consecutive starts.
The NC team also believed that Yokishi had a hard time managing his physical condition as there were many external variables, such as rain and delays in games, and the fact that he had played five seasons in the KBO meant that he had a better understanding of Korean hitters than anyone else.
However, Yokishi is now in his mid-to-late 30s and it is unclear whether his fastball velocity, which has dropped to the low 140s, can rebound.
NC general manager Lim Sun-nam said, “We will make a final decision after watching the major league market. Major league clubs are now organizing their rosters, so we will make a decision based on whether we can find better players.”
While the prospect of re-signing doesn’t seem bright, it’s not completely out of the question given that the Nats, as well as many other teams, have had to sign injury replacements during the season.