The best foreign pitcher in the first half of the 2023 season has to be NC foreign pitcher Eric Peddie, 30. In 15 games in the first half, Pedi went 12-2 with a 1.71 ERA. He led the league in most categories.온라인카지노
He was first in ERA, first in wins, first in batting average (0.207), second in winning percentage (0.857), second in strikeouts (109), and second in WHIP (walks allowed per inning – 1.01). At this rate, he could win multiple awards at the end of the regular season. He’s arguably the best pitcher in the league.
NC’s struggles led them to Pedi
When Pedi was signed, not many people expected him to perform as well as he did. After the 2022 season, NC parted ways with Drew Luchinski, who had played four KBO seasons in an NC uniform since 2019. Luchinski was an “ace mercenary” in his second year in the KBO, going 19-5 in 2020 and leading the team to the overall title that year. In four seasons, he won 53 games. However, the team was unable to re-sign him after he expressed his desire to play in the major leagues. In addition to Luchinski, the NC also replaced two other foreign players. It was a risky move, as the success of foreign players in the KBO depends on their ability to adapt.
With eight players who became free agents (FA) during the offseason, the NC had a lot of leaks in their lineup, losing the likes of Yang Ji (Doosan), but thanks to Pedi’s performance, they finished the first half in fourth place. This was despite the absence of left-handed ace Koo Chang-mo. Of NC’s 78 wins, 12 came from Pedi. His winning percentage is nearly 8 percent (0.857).
NC announced the signing of Pedi in late December of last year. The terms of the deal were a $200,000 signing bonus and an $800,000 salary for a total of $1 million. The $1 million is the salary cap for new foreign players starting in 2019. Peddy was selected by the Nats with the 18th overall pick in the first round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft and made his big league debut in 2017, appearing in 102 career major league games (88 starts), going 21-33 with a 5.41 ERA in 454.1 innings.
What’s even more amazing is that Peddy is an active major leaguer. He was the fifth starter for Washington’s World Series championship in 2019. He was the fifth starter again in 2022. At the time, the team said, “He has the command of a full-time major league starter. We expect him to be a key member of our starting staff.”
The first strategy NC used to bring Pedi back from the United States was speed. “As soon as he became a free agent, NC was the first to contact him,” said a source familiar with the organization. The second strategy was contract terms. NC didn’t put an option in Pedi’s contract. It was a $1 million signing bonus and salary. The terms were enough to win him over.
NC, which was founded in 2011 and entered the first team in 2013, was one of the teams that had a well-developed system for selecting foreigners. They drafted Eric Thames, one of the best foreign hitters of all time, and had good pitchers like Eric Hacker and Zach Stewart. Once again, NC’s system of selecting foreigners paid off.
Pedi, the sweeper pioneer, gives generously
Peddie was able to land in the KBO thanks to his 150-kilometer fastball and good control. He also has a sweeper, a changeup slider. Sweepers are side-to-side sliders that have a lot of movement, and they’re all the rage in the major leagues.
Pitchers from opposing teams who play against NC go to Pedi to learn how to throw it. He’s happy to share his sweeper secrets. Kiwoom Ahn Woo-jin, who was the best pitcher in the league last year, also went to Pedi to learn how to sweep.
He also overcame an injury crisis during the season. He was sidelined after the SSG game on June 9 due to elbow pain, but when he returned on June 28 against Doosan in Jamsil, he had a successful comeback, throwing six innings of one-hit ball with one walk and six strikeouts, including a perfect game until the fifth inning.
He also makes every effort to integrate into Korean baseball. He even set up a small photo studio in his dugout at home to connect with his teammates. The idea was to set up a small blackboard in the dugout, and whenever a teammate hit a home run, he would take an instant photo to display. NC has 51 team home runs, which ranks fourth out of 10 teams. In addition to their skills, the team’s fan service has endeared them to NC fans.
On May 18, a video posted by the NC team became the talk of the baseball world. On that day, the game between NC and SSG at Changwon NC Park was canceled due to rain, and a video of the rain cancellation event was uploaded. Pedi skillfully spoke in Korean, saying, “Ma!”, “Look at me”, “Young Faida”, “Ganggi mo handa today”, and “Tomorrow onna”. In the Gyeongsangnam-do dialect, it meant, “It’s raining, so we can’t play because the field is not in good condition, so come tomorrow. Within three days, the video was viewed nearly 60,000 times, creating a buzz. The team’s dialect-speaking staff recorded the voice in advance, and Pedi copied it. Fans went crazy for the video.
When fans asked him to “burn his passport,” he did so at the All-Star Game on July 15 at Sajik Stadium in Busan. Before pitching the sixth inning, he said in Korean, “I’m Pedi. Hit me,” he said in Korean before the sixth inning.
Pedi has a personal agenda. “I think it’s good for the team if I keep my ERA low. I want to keep it under one, and I have a lot of pride and ambition in that,” he said. NC did not make it to fall ball for the second straight season after winning the 2020 championship. If Peddie can continue to play his part following his first-half performance, his dreams and the team’s dreams could come true at the same time.