KBO's Heroes release slumping hitter Freitas
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, June 23 (Yonhap) -- The Kiwoom Heroes have cut ties with their struggling American hitter David Freitas.
The Heroes announced Wednesday they've asked the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to place Freitas on waivers and that they will now be looking for a new foreign hitter.
In his first KBO season, Freitas batted .259/.297/.374 with two homers and 14 RBIs in 43 games. That's a far cry from a .381/.461/.561 line he put up in 91 games with two Triple-A clubs in 2019. He also had 12 homers and 81 RBIs that year.
The entire minor league season was wiped out in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, and Freitas, whose last big league game came in September 2019 with the Milwaukee Brewers, never found his footing in South Korea.
Freitas was mostly the Heroes' designated hitter but also had some reps at first base and catcher. He caught the Heroes' two American starters, Jake Brigham and Eric Jokisch, for eight games combined.
Brigham had a 3.26 ERA in five starts with Freitas behind the dish, compared to a 4.22 ERA throwing to Lee Ji-young in three games. Jokisch had a 1.13 ERA with Freitas as his catcher in three starts, and a 2.78 ERA in 11 starts with Park Dong-won as his batterymate.
Ultimately, Freitas, like most other foreign hitters in the KBO, was acquired to put up big offensive numbers, and they ran out of patience.
The Heroes demoted Freitas to the minor league in early May, hoping he could turn things around in a less stressful environment there. He rejoined the club on May 18 and had a modest six-game hitting streak that stretched into early June. But he finished his Heroes stint batting .200 with no homers or RBI in his last 10 games. He was sent back to the minor league on Tuesday, a move that fueled speculation that he was about to be released. Manager Hong Won-ki denied any move was imminent, though the team parted ways with Freitas about 24 hours later.
KBO clubs are each allowed to carry three foreign players, with no more than two pitchers.
The Heroes opened the season with Jokisch and Josh A. Smith in the rotation and Freitas in the lineup. Smith was gone in April after only two starts and the Heroes brought Brigham, their longtime ace, back from Taiwan.
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)
-
(URGENT) Russian, Chinese warplanes enter S. Korea's air defense zone without notice: JCS
-
Premier League Golden Boot winner Son Heung-min receives hero's welcome home
-
Multiple Russian, Chinese warplanes enter KADIZ without notice: JCS
-
(LEAD) At least 8 injured in S-Oil refinery explosion in Ulsan: firefighters
-
Hyundai Motor to invest US$5 bln in U.S. for robotics, autonomous driving development
-
(5th LD) Yoon, Biden agree to expand joint military exercises to cope with N.K. threats
-
(LEAD) Multiple Russian, Chinese warplanes enter KADIZ without notice: JCS
-
(LEAD) At least 8 injured in S-Oil refinery explosion in Ulsan: firefighters
-
(LEAD) Biden set to arrive in S. Korea for first summit with Yoon
-
With historic Golden Boot, Son Heung-min cements case as greatest S. Korean footballer ever
-
Multiple Russian, Chinese warplanes enter KADIZ without notice: JCS
-
(2nd LD) N. Korea tests nuclear detonation device: presidential office
-
(5th LD)N. Korea fires 3 ballistic missiles, including 1 suspected ICBM: S. Korean military
-
(LEAD) Supreme Court rules against peak wage system
-
'The Roundup' becomes most-watched Korean film in pandemic era