I wanted to return hearts, but why did I turn it around…NC Tears's ace leaked for 3 consecutive years, so it's a problem because he's so good

Dec 18, 2024

On the 5th, the NC Dinos team returned home through Incheon International Airport after the Arizona spring camp in the United States. Kyle Hart entering the arrival hall. Incheon International Airport = Reporter Huh Sang-wook's wook@sportschosun.com/2024.03.05/

"The atmosphere was not like that when we met before we went to the U.S. after the season in Korea. I definitely wanted to come back to Korea."

The NC Dinos had to swallow their tears because of the leak of foreign ace for the third consecutive year. Starting with sending Drew Luchinski (36) to the U.S. Major League Baseball after the 2022 season, Eric Peddy (31, St. Louis Cardinals) and Kyle Hart (32) were unable to beat the players' intention to return to the U.S. for the third consecutive year. NC announced on the 18th a total of 1 million dollars (about 1.4 billion won) contract with new foreign pitcher Logan Allen (27), nailing the breakup with Hart.

It was even more painful for NC because all three players reigned as the best ace in the KBO League. Luchinski was also a filial foreigner who won 53 games while taking charge of 732 ⅔ innings for four years from 2019 to 2022. Peddy, who was newly hired last season, had a spectacular year than anyone else as Luchinski declared his challenge to the U.S. He swept the regular season MVP and pitcher Golden Glove with 20-6, 180 ⅓ innings, 209 strikeouts, and a 2.00 ERA in 30 games. Naturally, Peddy received a lot of attention from Major League Baseball clubs and left Korea when he signed with the Chicago White Sox. Hart won the Golden Glove in the pitching category this year with 26 games, 13 wins, 3 losses, 157 innings, 182 strikeouts, and a 2.69 ERA after Peddy.

Hart did not consider returning to the U.S. from the beginning. Lim Sun-nam, NC's general manager, said "Heart had a meeting before he went to the U.S. after finishing the season in Korea. At that time, I definitely wanted to come back to Korea, and I wanted to come back to Dinos again. In that respect, we also thought very positively.'

Since going to the U.S., the temperature of Hart's side has changed. "After returning to the U.S., Hearts can return to the Major League, and the expected amount of money is expected to be a three-year contract, so I think the player's expectations have suddenly risen," Lim said. Since then, we have become passive in our conversation."

Hearts are currently not specifically informed that they have signed with the U.S. Major League Baseball team. However, it is rumored that multiple clubs received attention at the recent Major League Winter Meeting. As foreign hitter Jared Young (29) and pitcher Brandon Waddell (30) who played for the Doosan Bears this year were reported to have signed with the New York Mets at the same time on the 17th, it is time for Hart to get a glimpse of the opportunity. Jared was not treated very well with his Major League split contract and Brandon's minor league contract, but he succeeded in setting the stage for his return to the Major League anyway.

5th PO match between NC and KT held at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 5th. NC Peddy is watching the game from the dugout. Suwon = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2023.11.5/

The 2022 KBO League NC Dinos and Samsung Lions match was held at Changwon NC Park on the 2nd. NC Luchinski is catching his breath. Changwon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2022.07.02/

"It is unclear to us whether Hart received an offer from a major league team," Lim said. It has been confirmed that he met several clubs at the winter meeting. Anyway, in this atmosphere, the player will continue to seek a return to the Major League, so we regret it, but we decided to respect the player's thoughts."

NC boasts a good foreign pitcher trail every year, but it is also true that it feels tired from repeated leaks every year.

Lim said "It's actually a lot of pressure. Fortunately, the new players have been doing well so far, but it is true that replacing a player who rides the Golden Glove every year is so difficult that it is very burdensome. But we can't just hope that we won't let them go to the U.S., so even if we're thinking about it at the end of the year, we're expecting new players to be as good as the players in front of us."

NC set up a new one-two punch with left-hander Logan and right-hander Riley Thompson (28) this year. The foreign hitter re-signed Matt Davidson (33), who won the title holder with 46 home runs this year, for $1.5 million (about 2.1 billion won).

Logan is expected to replace Hart as the new ace. Logan began his professional career in 2015 with an eighth round pick by the Boston Red Sox and played for the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Guardians, Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks. Logan was 5-11 in 45 major league games (15 starts), 124 ⅓ innings and a 5.79 ERA. In the minor leagues, he recorded 45 wins and 35 losses, 740 ⅔ innings, and a 4.50 ERA in 191 games (134 starts). Riley is a former Chicago Cubs prospect with no major league experience, so Logan puts more weight on him.

Lim said "Logan is a left-hander, similar to Hart in terms of restraint. He also throws a wide variety of pitches (splitter, curve, sweeper, slider, change-up), and he is a player who can put almost all pitches in the strike zone because of his good control. I see him as a player who can compete with batters in various ways"I hoped that he would continue the NC ace genealogy well.