Foreign Ballplayers in Korea

In my travels I’ve found that two of the most fun places to spot differences among cultures are movie theatres and sports events. Spending a few hours at the ballpark in Korea is very different from anywhere else — cheerleaders (male and female), boisterous fans banging drums, squid instead of hot dogs, and the whole stadium divided lengthwise into fans of the home and road teams. I’m not big on the cheerleaders, drums, or squid, but that last one could avoid some incidents like the one at Yankee Stadium a few years ago where a Padres fan’s hat was set on fire.

Having casually followed Korean baseball the last few years I’ve often wondered how good they are. Compared to Japan, of course, not that many Korean players have made it in the US, though they shocked everyone with their very strong performance in the World Baseball Classic. The Sports Chosun decided to ask the foreigners playing in the KBO — every team is allowed to have two — what they think of the quality of Korean baseball.

                    

What is the quality of Korean pro baseball as reflected in the eyes of foreign players? We went straight to the horse’s mouth.

The most common answer was that it’s between MLB and triple-A. Out of 15 players asked (except those on the Samsung Browns), 6 answered that way. Hanhwa outfielder Jacob Cruise made his estimation by saying “It’s a little better than triple-A. About 60% of players are better than triple-A but 20-30% aren’t quite good enough.” Doosan pitcher Matt Randall also said “There are a few teams better than triple-A”, adding “I don’t think it’s less than Japan. Japanese hitters focus on precision while Korean hitters focus on power.” Lotte pitcher Jose Cabrera said “The pitchers are close to triple-A. Hitters on the other hand are close to the majors. Like major leaguers, after two strikes Korean hitters bat differently.” Those who said it was the same as triple-A numbered 5. Lotte infielder Edward Rios  answered “If you combine the hitters and pitchers it’s the same level as triple-A but a few players are good enough to be in MLB.”

There were also answers emphasizing the diference in styles. SK pitcher Kenny Lavin, who experienced playing baseball in Taiwan, explained that “Hitters’ power is similar to the International League in triple-A. Korean hitters also swing hard with two strikes. Each team has one or two guys who can carry the team and get the big hit like major leaguers. Lotte’s Lee Dae-hu and Kia’s Jang Seong-ho are like that. Korea’s different from Japan and Taiwan and close to American baseball.”

Last to make his appraisal, LG pitcher Tim Halikala said “If you look at the starting lineups, one or two guys could be in the big leagues and three to four would be at triple-A. Another three or four would be double-A. If a Korean team played a season in triple-A they’d be in the lower ranks.”