Changing Lauer or Nail? 'Average 152 km' Active ML Leaguer responds to reports to KIA's Taegeukgi'Flap'
Nov 13, 2024
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The name of Adam Oler (31, Miami Marlins) is being mentioned as the new foreign pitcher of the KIA Tigers.
Ari Alexander of KPRC, a Houston-based media outlet, said on the 13th (Korea time) "According to reporters, Oler agreed to play for KIA, the winner of the KBO League in the 2025 season." CBS Sports and MLB Trade Rumors also cited this one after another and reported additionally.
Aller went 2-4 with a 5.31 ERA in eight games and 42 ⅓ innings for Miami this year. His three-year MLB career record was 5 wins and 13 losses with a 6.54 ERA.
He made his first big league debut with the Oakland Athletics in 2022 and went through a two-year stint in Oakland. After being released from Oakland in July last year, he played for the Seattle Mariners, played for the Cleveland Guardians, and played for Miami since this summer.
It is also notable that he is a pitcher who has consistently played as a starter since his debut in the rookie league in 2016. He pitched 134 innings last year and 95 innings this year, combining the big leagues and minors.
His overall minor league record is 41 wins and 28 losses with a 4.57 ERA. He has returned to the U.S. stage after playing in the independent league in 2019 and the Australian League (ABL) in 2020-2021.
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The best game of the year was 8K good pitching against the San Francisco Giants on August 31st, with two hits and no runs in six innings. It is impressive that he pitched more than five innings in seven consecutive games, except for the first of the eight ⅔ (5 runs in 4 games).
What's more interesting is Oler's own reaction. Oler's management company, Gaeta Sports, retweeted his KIA-bound news on SNS, and Oler tagged it again on his SNS. He then added 'Asia' with the Taegeukgi emoticon, expressing his joy.
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James Nail was definitely good during the regular season. Nail is a player who would have fought for the best pitcher in the league along with Kyle Hart (NC Dinos) if it weren't for an unexpected direct hit to the face last year. He started 26 games, played 149 ⅓ innings, and pitched 12 wins, 5 losses, and a 2.53 ERA. On the other hand, Eric Lauer, who joined the team during the season as a substitute outsider, failed to meet expectations with two wins, two losses and a 4.93 ERA in seven regular-season games.
Nail did not return to the U.S. but stayed in Korea and received treatment, and miraculously recovered quickly. He led the team to victory by pitching one run in five innings in the first game of the Korean Series and two runs in five ⅔ in the fourth game. Lauer also became a losing pitcher by allowing a home run to Lee Sung-kyu and Kim Young-woong in Game 3, but he pitched hard with two runs in five innings.
lunarfly@sportschosun.com
