“I played better than Puig in Mexico” Kiwoom, the reason why he brought back Russell, who had broken up two years ago
Kiwoom Heroes brought back Edison Russell (28), who played as a foreign hitter in 2020.
On the 12th, Kiwoom said, “I signed a 2023 contract with foreign hitter Russell for a total of $700,000.”
Russell is a shortstop with a batting average of .242 (480 hits in 1987 bats), 60 homers, 253 RBIs, and an OPS of .704 in 615 major league games. In 2016, he was selected to the National League Shortstop All-Star and led the Cubs to their first World Series championship in 108 years. However, due to the pandemic of Corona 19, he could not play in the big leagues for the last time in 2019.
Kiwoom recruited Russell as a substitute foreign hitter for Taylor Motor in 2020. At the time, Russell had high expectations, but his batting average was 2.54 (62 hits in 244 bats), 2 homers, 31 RBIs, and an OPS of .653 in 65 games, and he failed to renew his contract after the season.
Russell has played in the Mexican League for the past two years. In 2021, he recorded an OPS of .835 with 12 home runs and 67 RBIs in 106 games including the winter league (121 hits in 414 at-bats), and this year he recorded a batting average of 3.19 li (108 hits in 339 at-bats) in 98 games, including the winter league. ) with 25 homers, 76 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.011.
Koh Hyeong-wook, general manager of Kiwoom, who said, “I was constantly tracking Russell,” said, “As Kim Hye-seong, who won the 2021 shortstop Golden Glove, moved to second base, the shortstop position became vacant. He thought about how to strengthen the team’s power, although young players such as Kim Hwi-jip and Shin Jun-woo did well, and decided to recruit Russell. He explained why he brought Russell back. 메이저놀이터
Kiwoom originally planned to renew the contract with Yasiel Puig, who showed good performance this year as a foreign hitter. However, as Puig was put on trial in the United States for illegal sports betting and perjury, he was unable to renew his contract. Kiwoom filled a spot in the outfield by bringing Lee Hyung-jong as a Futures FA for 2 billion won in 4 years, and Lim Byeong-wook, who was discharged from business, is also scheduled to return from injury. Considering the league MVP Lee Jung-hoo, it can be seen that the outfield has already been prepared to some extent.
Russell did not perform satisfactorily in the KBO league two years ago. However, general manager Ko Hyeong-wook said, “Many things are different from two years ago. At the time, there were many restrictions due to Corona 19, and it was not easy to adapt to the team in the middle of the season. This time, the quarantine against Corona 19 is almost over, and since he will be with us from spring camp, he will be able to show a better image,” he expected Russell to do.
Regarding Russell’s hitting, general manager Ko Hyeong-wook said, “Russell played in the Mexican League, and as you can see, his performance is amazing. Puig also played in the Mexican League but did not perform as well as Russell. If Russell adapts well, I think he will have good results,” he said, saying that Puy would fill his vacancy well.
Kiwoom, who renewed the contract with Eric Yokishi for $ 1.5 million along with Russell, completed the composition of foreign players with Yokishi, Ariel Hurado, and Russell. It seems that the big task of the hot winter has been completed to some extent. Fans are very excited about whether Kiwoom will be able to challenge for the first Korean series championship next year.