I can't believe I came to Korea because such a player was released…ML sensation evaluation, KBO reverse export myth was properly written

Dec 23, 2024

3rd semi-PO match between SSG and NC held at Changwon NC Park on the 25th. Peddy is sitting in the dugout watching the game. Changwon = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2023.10.25/

It's still a mystery why I failed and came to Korea. Eric Peddy (31, St. Louis Cardinals), who played an active role as the ace of the NC Dinos in the KBO League last year, was evaluated as a player who made a splash in the Major League in 2024.

The Major League website MLB.com listed Peddy on the 21st (Korea Standard Time) when it selected '8 people who made a splash in the major leagues in 2024. It's been a year since the return of gold to the United States.

Peddy succeeded in returning to the big leagues by signing a two-year contract worth $15 million (about 21.7 billion won) with the Chicago White Sox ahead of this season. Peddy went 7-3 with 111 ⅓ innings, 99 strikeouts and a 2.99 ERA in the first half of this year. However, the White Sox were the worst team with 121 losses (41 wins) this year, and eventually, Pedi was traded to St. Louis and found a way to live. Peddy proved to have definitely bounced back from South Korea this season, going 9-9 with 177 ⅓ innings, 154 strikeouts and a 3.30 ERA in 31 starts this season.

MLB.com added 'Peddy was selected in the first round by the Washington Nationals in the 2014 draft. At the time, Washington thought it had a player in its hands who would become Stephen Strasburg (36) in the future. Strasburg is a pitcher who was Washington's ace and has a career record of 113-62 in 13 big league seasons, 1470 innings, 1723 strikeouts, and a 3.24 ERA.

MLB.com continued 'But it wasn't. Peddy had a 5.41 ERA in his career with Washington and could no longer be with him in the big leagues. So I decided to leave for KBO in 2023. Peddy, who returned to the U.S. in 2024, was a completely different pitcher. He had a 3.11 ERA with the White Sox and made 10 solid starts after trading to St. Louis. Now, Peddy is the core of the St. Louis starting rotation, and he is also the team's most stable starter except Sonny Gray (35). Of course, Pedi's position also depends on what happens to St. Louis this year, and he is a prospective FA, so there is a possibility of another transfer ahead of the trade deadline, he added.

If you look at Pedi's recent two years, it's just amazing how NC brought such a player to the KBO League. If Peddy, a promising Washington prospect, had not suffered from being released after the 2022 season, there might not have been a special KBO ace Peddy.

The 2023 KBO League NC Dinos and Lotte Giants game was held at Changwon NC Park on the 12th. NC Peddy is pitching hard. Changwon=Park Jae-man, Reporter pjm@sportschosun.com/2023.07.12/

2023 KBO Awards held at Westin Chosun Seoul on the 27th, MVP NC Peddy poses with the trophy. Reporter Huh Sang-wook's wook@sportschosun.com/2023.11.27/

Recalling the time of signing with Pedi, NC's general manager Lim Sun-nam said, `In the past, there were many cases of recognizing the Asian League as the last market where they could make money. As a result, some players spent time idly, and there was a perception that they should get a lot of money. When we first came into contact with Pedi, he even got angry, saying, `Why do you recommend me to go to Korea when I'm not old enough yet?'

As a result, Pedi's visit to Korea was the best choice in her life. He completely dominated the KBO League with 20-6 losses, 180 ⅓ innings, 209 strikeouts, and a 2.00 ERA in 30 starts last season. He won the honor of being the fourth pitcher in KBO history and the first foreign pitcher triple crown as he ranked first in the multiple wins, strikeouts and ERA categories. He had the best performance in KBO foreign pitcher history, and naturally, MVP was his responsibility.

Pedi's experience of steadily rotating full-time as an ace in the KBO League and his upgraded pitching against quite demanding Korean hitters is considered the key to Pedi's reverse export myth in the United States.

Peddy's growth seems to have a greater impact than Merrill Kelly (36, Arizona Diamondbacks), who was a representative example of the KBO reverse export myth in the past. Kelly was a player with no major league experience until he played for the SK Wyverns (now SSG Landers) from 2015 to 2018. This is a case that drew attention by signing with Arizona from 2019 on the basis of his career in Korea and establishing himself as a second starter.

Pedi's success has been an opportunity for foreign players with some major league experience to turn to Korea in the last two years. Next season, players who are young and have a lot of experience in the major leagues, including SSG Landers pitcher Mitch White (30) and LG Twins pitcher Yoni Chirinos (31), Doosan Bears pitcher Cole Irvin (30) and NC Dinos pitcher Logan Allen (27), will play in Korea with the goal of returning to the big leagues. Peddy is currently the most influential player in both South Korea and the United States.