TODAY: Jokisch has re-signed with the Heroes on a one-year, $900K contract (another tip of the hat to MyKBO’s Dan Kurtz).
NOVEMBER 29: The Korea Baseball Organization’s Kiwoom Heroes will not pursue new contracts with infielder Addison Russell or right-hander Jake Brigham, the team announced (h/t to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO). However, the Heroes are planning to try and re-sign southpaw Eric Jokisch, Kurtz relays.
Russell, 27 in January, is the most well-known of the three. A former top prospect and the Cubs’ starting shortstop during their 2016 World Series season, Russell served a 2018 domestic violence suspension after former wife Melisa Reidy detailed serious allegations of abuse. Between the suspension and dwindling on-field productivity, he didn’t find a particularly robust market upon being non-tendered by Chicago last offseason. The Heroes brought Russell aboard in June, but he mustered an underwhelming .254/.317/.336 line with just two home runs across 271 plate appearances.
Brigham only saw brief big league action with the 2015 Braves but had spent the past four seasons with the Heroes. After posting a 2.96 ERA in 2019, the 32-year-old put up a 3.62 mark this past season. Brigham’s strikeout rate improved to a career-best level in 2020, but his walk rate has gotten progressively higher during each KBO season.
Jokisch was far and away the Heroes’ most productive pitcher last season. He led the team with 159.2 innings of 2.14 ERA ball, winning the league’s ERA title. It’s little surprise the Seoul-based club wants to keep him in the fold, but the 31-year-old has also caught the attention of some MLB teams and could consider a return stateside.
Off-field issues aside, if Russell can’t tear it up in the KBO he doesn’t deserve another look in the majors.
Next stop: Taiwan.
All foreign players in the CPBL are starting pitchers, nobody’s going to waste one of their 3 slots for a light hitting infielder. Australia would be a better fit.
Next stop: high school baseball coach somewhere in west Texas.
You’re an idiot.
@AngelsAdvocate – It would be helpful if we knew to whom you directed your insightful comment.
@gbs. He directed it at kyleschwarbersMom. Just follow the lines on the left
@word – Thank you, but I don’t have any lines on the left, either on my phone or my laptop.
All the same, his was a brilliant observation beneficial to all. Actually, on second thought…
Agree
I hope you saved your money Addison. If not you can always try working at McDonalds or Walmart.
@fred Can you put in a good word to your manager for him? Maybe you can get him on the fry station with you.
What a shame! Russell had a great future and blew it.
i think Jokisch has absolutly earned his way back to the Majors. to be honest, im surprised he only ever got 4 appearances in the Majors ti begin with.
Had the same thought. I would have figured some MLB team would have an interest in a lefty starter.
Doesn’t deserve another chance period….good riddance
Couldn’t have said it any better!
Agreed. Just because lax laws don’t adequately penalize wife beaters does not mean MLB and sports teams do not have the power to ban them for life from playing again.
Disgusting and useless human beings who go out and beat on females is what these scum are.
Word
I couldn’t have said it any better.
Are u referencing the laxed Lawson Chicago Illinois?! There was never even enough evidence for a trial yet MLB chose to blackball this dude strictly based on a testimony of a scorned woman who found out her high school sweetheart and husband was cheating on her.
I’m not a Russell fan at all. But a big fan of due process and innocent til proven guilty. None of that, to what I’ve seen or read happened here as he still says he’s innocent.
Y’all are too judgy and triggered to easily
Wtf?
I’m agreeing with @bot?
Huh.
Thank you totally agree
LOL @ ‘Y’all’
Apparently you forgot about the time he was out on a walk with his pregnant wife and kept tripping her, on purpose.
Oh wait, you’re a troll. Carry on.
‘Innocent until proven guilty’ has zero to do with how MLB or a team chooses to handle a player nor the court of public opinion. I don’t understand why ‘innocent until proven guilty’ continually gets brought up on things like this. It’s a COURT thing.
People are free to judge someone and MLB, under the CBA negotiated by the MLBPA, can discipline or shy away from players as they see fit.
When things like this happen in sports and you find yourself about to say something about ‘innocent until proven guilty’, stop. Don’t mention it because it’s completely irrelevant. If OJ Simpson had still been an active running back in the 90s, would you be asking for teams to give him another look or telling people they’re ‘judgy or triggered’ after he was acquitted? He was never found guilty, so…?
Russell got too many chances to hang around even the Cubs. Theo Epstein out of one side of his mouth talks high and mighty about how a sports team has a responsibility to the culture of a city and impact upon society. Then out of the other side of his mouth kept defending his decision to keep this guy around! Chicago won’t miss Theo, the guy who took the greatest collection of young talent in recent memory and turned that into a one and done flash in the pan. Truth.
In defense of Theo, he collected the greatest collection of young talent in recent memory.
And because of Theo brought in Madden woh was able to bring a World Series title to Chicago. You don’t have to like Theo but you cannot deny his ability to end World Series droughts.
The easy thing for Theo to do was to “cancel” Russell. Even though it did not work out, I admire giving the second chance.
Some day society will change but in the meantime you can still “admire” these decisions to defend the abuser and blame those mouthy females, right KSM? Sad.
Where did Theo defend Russell’s abuse or blame the ex-wife? This decision was made in the best interest of the family involved, not your interest as a fan.
And these same people criticizing Theo are probably also saying we should focus on “rehabilitation” instead of imprisonment in terms of criminals.
That’s exactly what Theo was doing and it wasn’t the wrong decision. He felt it would’ve been easy to cut him, but more useful to get him the help he needed.
Russell didn’t hit in the KBO or in AAA in 2019. Hard to believe he was once a consensus top-five global prospect.
He didn’t really hit much in the MLB either. He never had an wRC+ over 95, he was below average offensively every year.
He save all his hitting for the Russell Residence.
Jokisch put up video game numbers in a heavily offensive league. To me that’s more intriguing than many of the obviously declining back end options on the free agent market.
We can be (Kiwoom) Heroes, just for one day
Addison Russell should be in prison.
Surprised no MLB team wanted to give a lefty starter like Jokish a shot. With league minimum a tick under $600K, it wouldn’t take much to best the $900K he signed to stay in the KBO. Eats innings and suppresses HRs. It takes two to tango. Seems like he wanted to stay.
Daily Asian league updates. Where are Caribbean league updates?