Former Rangers hurler Hyeon-jong Yang apparently won’t be giving MLB a second go. Yoo Jee-ho of the Yonhap News Agency reports that Yang is likely to return to the Korea Baseball Organization. Before signing with Texas earlier this year, Yang spent 14 seasons with the KBO’s Kia Tigers. Representatives for the team recently told reporters that Yang expressed interest in rejoining the club and that they would attempt to re-sign him.
Now 33 years old, Yang enjoyed a great deal of success with Kia, including winning the regular season and Korean Series MVP trophies in 2017. He appeared in 425 games with the Tigers, posting a 147-95 record and 3.83 ERA.
Unfortunately, those numbers didn’t translate well to the big leagues. Yang signed a minor league deal with Texas on February 12 of this year. He didn’t break camp with the Rangers, but was called up on April 26. He appeared in eight games over the next seven weeks, including four starts, but was mostly ineffective. Over 29 innings he put up a 5.59 ERA and 6.55 FIP. He was then designated for assignment, cleared waivers and assigned to the Round Rock Express, Texas’ Triple-A affiliate. He spent the rest of the season bouncing between Round Rock and Arlington, with similar results.
After being outrighted to Round Rock in mid-September, Yang elected to become a free agent on October 4, setting up a possible return to the KBO.
He tried it didn’t work out still gets his union benefits, and can go back home and finish his career there.
Do union benefits extend to other countries?
i would have to imagine so
Major League Baseball Players Benefit Plan:
United States: 1-800-669-2255
Outside United States: 443-977-4686
Life Insurance, Health Insurance, Pension, Vanguard
That’s on the mlb site when it comes to pensions so yes they do. All it takes is spending one day on a MLB roster and you have medical insurance coverage for life.
I don’t think thats accurate . One day gives you benefits for the whole season. It may have changed but in 2016 it only lasted for a season at a time. May have changed since then
There is ZERO chance that spending one day on an MLB roster gives you insurance coverage for life.
Actually if you look it up they claim that one day gives lifetime medical
bclplaw.com/en-US/insights/blogs/benefits-bclp/maj…
You guys realize that medical insurance is not NEARLY as big of a deal outside the US right? Giving international players lifetime coverage does basically nothing for Canadian players, as an example. Most of the rest of the world has universal healthcare already
Actually, it would be quite good for Canadian players if they need faster and more extensive care.
Roy DeMeo, there is exactly zero chance that your claim is correct.
Yea as a Canadian Albeit in a small province and city, out health care is free but takes forever. needed a halter monitor (heart monitor) and it took me weeks
And it takes 17weeks to get a hospital bed if needed lol. Universal healthcare is for idiots.
Texas needs to stay in central and south America, and out of asia.they have a lot better luck in the Dominican, Puerto Rico, than in Korea and japan
I’m not a Texas fan, do they have a long list of failed imports from Korea and Japan? They certainly are not a team that I think about when Japanese and Korean players are posted.
The only one other than Yang that immediately comes to mind is Choo and I thought he was pretty good for them. (They didn’t sign him as a prospect though)
Kohei Arihara. He was another pitcher they signed who also went bust this year.
Well what about darvish
I wouldn’t say long list, but a few. Yes, choo. And he had some decent yrs, but he was mostly a bust in regards to what they made, time he spent on DL, and his performance. Yu darvish was another. And he had cpl good yrs as ranger, but not when u account for posting fee, contract, 2 yrs on Dl. They got Willie Calhoun as return for trading him, that should tell u something about his time here. Remember chan ho park? Complete disaster.and hideki irabu. So no not whole lot, but the ones they have, they either overpaid or were complete bust
@ButchAdam’s yeah that darvish signing was horrible.
Absolutely. I think Texas still regrets that Darvish signing every single day.
I think it’s just Texas. All around bad
I wouldn’t call it horrible, but I’m sure they expected more than 50 wins in 5 yrs for $111m, and a return better than Willie Calhoun. But I do think choo and darvish r the reasons ownership decided to quit spending big money contracts
wins haven’t mattered since like 2010 lol
Funny how a lot of players out side of the us struggle. This just reminds me when Cuban players were a hot thing and most flame out
Too many new things. New language, culture, weather, team, level of play, rules, parks
Or maybe lack of any talent….
Saw this coming before it happened. He will go back to bring a solid KBO pitcher. They should hire me as a scout. I’ve been studying players in KBO and NPB for 6 years and I know everything about everyone. I knew Kim Ha Seong would blow for Padres. I should be hired for all positions available
You won’t be hired to any organization dude