The NC Dinos of the Korea Baseball Organization have signed outfielder Aaron Altherr and right-hander Mike Wright, Naver Sports reports (hat tip to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net). Both players will earn an $800K salary and a signing bonus of $200K. Altherr and Wright will make up two of the Dinos’ three allotted foreign players in 2020.
The 28-year-old Altherr will try to rebuild his stock overseas after a brutal 2019 divided among the Phillies, Giants and Mets. Altherr amassed a combined 66 plate appearances in those stops and batted a miserable .082/.136/.164 with one home run. It was the second straight rough year at the major league level for Altherr, a ninth-round pick of the Phillies in 2009 who looked like a potential building block for the team just a couple years ago. In 2017, his best season in the majors, Altherr slashed a strong .272/.340/.516 with 19 homers in 412 trips to the plate.
Wright, meanwhile, hasn’t had much success at the game’s highest level since entering the pros as a third-rounder of the Orioles in 2011. The 29-year-old has only pitched to a 6.00 ERA/5.22 FIP with 7.26 K/9 and 3.45 BB/9 in 258 MLB innings, including 29 1/3 frames between the O’s and Mariners in 2019. But Wright has performed well in Triple-A ball, where he has posted a 3.76 ERA and logged 6.9 K/9 against 2.45 BB/9 across 447 2/3 innings.
wish Altherr luck over there. he’s a true talent when he puts all his skills together on a consistent basis.
Good luck Aaron & Mike!
Altherr can play all 3 outfield positions very well and could have made his way back on to a big league club this year with a strong showing in the spring or at AAA. He was amazing in ’17 but pitchers must have figured him out because its inexplicable how much he fell off the past 2 seasons.
Best of luck to him and Wright.
He can’t hit a fastball. That was Altheer problem. Pitchers figured him out and his bat was slow on high fastballs.
Terrible signs for the Dinos. So many better options out there, but I’m guessing they know more than me…smh.
Aaron Altherr is the best San Francisco Giant outfielder to ever live.
I think we found the guy who knows less than sportsguy24/7….
I think we found the guy that recognizes sarcasm worse than Sheldon Cooper…..
Bazinga!!
r/woosh
I would how much it costs the Giants to get Altherr his one at bat.
I believe Altherr will do fine. Getting AB’s every now and then is the most difficult thing to do to get your timing and swing going well.
From a Mets fan, I am glad to see him go as far away from possible from New York. Aaron Altherr is a great talent, but how many at bats he got in the major leagues this year was laughable. He was somebody when he came up to the plate, the fans sighed. Aaron Altherr will be another name on my long name of players on the New York Mets who were very dissapointing.
Altherr might jump start his career over there..He was good in ’17’..afterwards, he was less than a part time player..hard to get your groove on when you only get a PH chance once a week..He was good in all 3 positions.not great, but good…I wish him well..
Altherr will still bat .095 there probably
Aaron Altherr should be an upgrade over Jake Smolinsky. I’m not quite sure who Mike Wright is replacing though
Good luck Mike Wright. I always thought he might be a good power arm for the bullpen but…he wasn’t.