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[이데일리 스타in 이석무 기자] Kiwoom Heroes finally got a new foreign hitter. It was the last of the 10 clubs to complete the composition of foreign players.
Kiwoom announced on the 5th that “as a new foreign hitter, I signed a contract with David Freitas (32) for a total of $600,000 including an annual salary of $550,000 and an option of $50,000.”
Born in 1989 and from the United States, Freitas made his first major league debut at the Atlanta Braves in 2017 after being nominated for the Washington Nationals in the 2010 Major League New Draft round 15. Since then, he has worked in Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers.
With a sturdy physique of 188cm and 113kg, Freitas can handle first baseman and catcher, and is evaluated as an offensive batter with long hitting power and sophistication. He played 59 games in three seasons in the Major League, batting average of .200 (25 hits in 125 at-bats), 1 home run, 13 points and 8 RBIs.
In the minor leagues, he played 10 seasons and played in 802 matches, leaving 808 hits, 73 homers, 440 RBI, batting average of .289 and OPS of .812. In particular, in 2019, Triple A recorded a batting average of .381 with 125 hits in 328 at-bats, a .461 on-base rate of 12 homers, 47 walks, 55 strikeouts, and an OPS of 1.022. Ranked first in the league in batting average and on-base percentage.
Last year, the minor league was canceled in the aftermath of Corona 19, so there is no history of playing in the game. However, Kiwoom’s explanation is that it has been included in the 40-man roster all the time, and has maintained a sense of practice through training and practice games in the team.
From next week, Freitas will be training with more than 20 agent players at the ballpark in Scottsdale, Arizona, organized by his agency, PSI Sports Management. The club plans to receive training videos every day before entering Korea to continuously monitor the player’s condition.
General Manager Ko Hyeong-wook said, “Even if it took time, we tried to recruit players that are essential to our team.” .
He added, “We are expecting that Freitas, who was recruited this time, will perform well as he has power and sophistication,” he added.
Freitas is planning to enter Korea after completing administrative procedures such as issuing a visa. After entering the country, they go through self-isolation and join the team.