Doosan to re-sign Brandon, Lee “the best option among available players”
Doosan Bears manager Lee Seung-yeop expressed his excitement about the impending arrival of new foreign pitcher Brandon Waddell.
Doosan placed injury-plagued foreign pitcher Dylan Pyle on waivers on Aug. 8. Dillon, who was sidelined with an elbow injury last month, suffered a recurrence of pain during his rehabilitation, making his return uncertain, and Doosan could not wait any longer.
Doosan made a list of alternatives early on and decided to bring back Brandon, who played for Doosan last year. Last year, Brandon played in a Doosan uniform as a replacement for Ariel Miranda and posted a solid record of 5-3 with a 3.60 ERA in 11 games.
After failing to re-sign with Doosan after the season, Brandon went on to play in the Taiwan Professional Baseball League for the Rakuten Monkeys. This season, he went 5-4 with a 2.85 ERA and was close to returning to Doosan.
“I heard that the agreement was finalized, and I think I’ll be able to pitch at the end of this month at the latest. I think I made the best choice among the players available. The club moved quickly,” he said of Waddell’s signing.
“When I saw him last year, I wasn’t impressed, but when I saw him again, I realized that he has a fastball of 150 kilometers and a changeup that he can use freely. He has experience in the KBO and has been in the starting rotation in Taiwan, so I don’t think he will have any problems adjusting.”
Doosan has been able to hold its own in the middle of the pack despite losing three starters – Dillon, Kwak Bin and Choi Won-jun – to injury and poor performance. As of September 9, Doosan’s starting pitching staff has a 3.60 ERA, which ranks fourth in the league.
Lee said, “It’s all thanks to the pitching coach. We were able to endure the sluggishness and injuries of the starting pitchers because we showed good teamwork with the training part.” Lee credits the coaching staff. 메이저놀이터