 |
| Freitas playing for Seattle in August 2018. /AFPBBNews=News1 |
Kiwoom Heroes finally brought a foreign hitter. Literally, I only saw hitting regardless of position. David Freitas (31), who had a good on-base ratio and was a former Triple A hitting king, was recruited.
On the afternoon of the 5th, Kiwoom said, “As a new foreign hitter, we have signed a contract with David Freitas for an annual salary of 550,000 dollars and an option of 50,000 dollars for a total of 600,000 dollars.” He was on the Milwaukee Brewers 40-man roster, so it was reported that he paid an additional transfer fee.
It is noteworthy that Freitas’ position is first baseman and catcher. Hong Won-ki (48), coach Ki-woom explained, “I only asked the club one request for the selection of foreign batters. Since the defensive position is not important, I asked him to prioritize hitting.”
Freitas also climbed to the top batting average in the 2019 season’s minor league triple A with a batting average of 0.381, 12 home runs, 47 walks, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 1.022. Although there is no record for the 2020 season, it has been included in the Milwaukee 40-man roster and has maintained a sense of actual battle. His career performance in the major leagues is 0.200 batting average in 59 games (25 hits in 125 at-bats), 1 home run and 8 RBIs. It is an evaluation of a typical AAAA type batter.
Shortly after the announcement, Hong Won-ki also explained, “We are planning to mainly play as a backup role for first baseman Park Byeong-ho (35) and as a designated hitter.” Goh Hyung-wook (50), general manager Ki-woom, also said, “Even if it takes time, I tried to recruit the players needed for the team. I wanted a player to play in the center line, and I expect Freitas to play that role well.”
Freitas plans to adjust the entry schedule after completing administrative procedures such as issuing a visa. The Kiwoom team announced that they will actively support so that they can go out without problems until the opening day of the regular season on April 3.