Thomas Hatch dating during his MLB days in Toronto. Getty Images
Right-handed pitcher Thomas Hatch (30) wears a Doosan Bears uniform.
As a result of this paper’s coverage, the countdown to the news of Hatch’s departure for Doosan has begun. After failing to renew his contract with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) team on the 8th, interest focused on Hatch’s future. The possibility of trying again in NPB and entering the KBO league was expected in various ways, but Doosan was his last choice. Doosan, who agreed to an early contract, completed the detailed recruitment process, including internal reporting.
Hatch took his first steps into Asian basketball by signing with Hiroshima last December. He was such a popular subject in the foreign player market that he was said to have been contacted by 3 to 4 domestic clubs at the time. However, it was a ‘piece of cake’. The KBO League limits the total number of contracts of new foreign players to a maximum of $1 million (KRW 1.4 billion), including annual salary, incentives, transfer fees, and signing bonuses, and was worth Hatch higher than that.
Thomas Hatch during his MLB days in Pittsburgh. Getty Images
In fact, Hatch was promised at least $1.3 million (KRW 1.8 billion) from the Hiroshima club, including a contract deposit of $450,000 and an annual salary of $850,000. The result was failure. Due to poor performance (3 losses in 5 games, 7.36 ERA), the relationship ended after one season. His fiery personality also played a part. Last August and September, he was fined 50,000 yen (450,000 won) and 100,000 yen (900,000 won) respectively for protesting referee decisions in games in the second team (Western League).
Doosan overestimated Hatch’s chances of a comeback. Hatch mixes fastballs with a top speed of around 97 miles (156.1 km/h) with changeups and cutting fastballs. His four-year career record in Major League Baseball (MLB) is 4 wins, 4 losses, and an average ERA of 4.96 in 39 games (6 starts). In the minor leagues, he recorded a career total (6 years) of 33 wins, 45 losses, and an ERA of 4.18. Last winter, along with Tyler Biddy (formerly Yomiuri Giants) and Cody Ponce (Nippon Ham Fighters), he was considered one of the ‘NPB Big 3’ in which KBO League scouts were interested. It was also taken into account when recruiting the number of foreign players who landed softly in the KBO league after failing to adapt to NPB.
The 2024 KBO League professional soccer match between Kiwoom Heroes and Doosan Bears was held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the afternoon of the 10th. Balazovic gives a pep talk to the infield after Kim Hye-seong, who was on first base without a hit in the bottom of the first inning, was ruled a double play. Gocheok = Reporter Kim Min-gyu mgkim1@edaily.co.kr /2024.09.10/
Meanwhile, Doosan announced the contract of left-handed pitcher Cole Irvin on the 15th. By choosing Hatch as his partner, Jordan Balazovic and Brandon Waddell, who were foreign pitchers on the last day of this season, were all included.
Reporter Bae Jung-hyeon bjh1025@edaily.co.kr
2024-11-19 03:00:00
#단독 #Fireball #Haechi #NPB #wears #Doosan #uniform
Interviewer: Good morning, I’m excited to welcome our first guest today, Thomas Hatch, who recently signed with the Doosan Bears of the KBO League after spending one season with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of the NPB. Welcome, Thomas.
Thomas Hatch: Thank you for having me. I’m excited to join the Bears and look forward to starting this new chapter in my career.
Interviewer: Absolutely. Our second guest today is Brandon Waddell, who was also a foreign pitcher for the Doosan Bears last season. Brandon, thank you for joining us.
Brandon Waddell: Glad to be here. It’s always great to have another pitcher coming in, especially someone with Thomas’s talent and experience.
Interviewer: Thank you, Brandon. Thomas, could you tell us a little about your decision to sign with the Doosan Bears and how the recruitment process was?
Thomas Hatch: Sure. Well, after my contract with Hiroshima didn’t get renewed, I was open to trying my luck in both the NPB and the KBO. But Doosan really showed a lot of interest in me and made me feel valued. They had a great team culture and system in place that I think will suit me well. The recruitment process was pretty quick and efficient, which was nice. They really made it easy for me to decide to join them.
Interviewer: That’s great to hear. Moving on to your pitching style, you’re known for your fastball, which reaches speeds of around 97 miles per hour. How do you think your pitching will complement the Bears’ current roster?
Thomas Hatch: I think my fastball can add a bit of variety and unpredictability to their pitching staff. It will also allow me to match up well against certain lineups, especially those that struggle against high velocity. And of course, there’s always room for improvement, so I’m looking forward to working with the coaching staff to fine-tune my skills even further.
Interviewer: Brandon, as someone who also pitched for the Bears last season, what are your thoughts on adding Thomas to the team?
