With the door to the Major League transfer market open in earnest, evaluations of players seeking opportunities on unfamiliar stages across the sea are also coming out little by little.
“The Athletic” borrowed anonymous reviews from senior club executives and Pacific scouts from FA players seeking to advance to the big leagues in Japan and Korea through an article on the 7th local time.
The players who drew the most attention were Yakult infielder Murakami Munetaka, Seibu right-hander Imai Tatsuya, and Yomiuri infielder Okamoto Kazuma, whose posting was announced on the same day, but he also introduced evaluations of other players.
사진 확대 Game 5 of the playoffs (best of five) between the Hanwha Eagles and the Samsung Lions of the “2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO Postseason” was held at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the afternoon of the 24th. Hanwha starter Ponce is pitching hard. Photo (Daejeon) = Reporter Kim Young-gu
Right-hander Cody Ponce, infielder Song Sung-moon, and outfielder and first baseman Kang Baek-ho were introduced as players seeking to advance in Korea.
In the case of Ponce, he introduced, “It is attracting the most attention among foreign players except Murakami, Imai and Okamoto.” In short, it means that it is attracting the most attention among KBO players.
Ponce, who had only 20 appearances for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2020 to 21, later played for the Hanwha Eagles in the 2025 season after playing for Nippon Ham and Rakuten in the Japanese professional baseball league. He played 1,80 2/3 innings in 29 games, recording 17 wins and 1 loss with a 1.89 ERA and a WHIP 0.935 10 home runs, 41 walks, and 252 strikeouts.
The Athletic reported that multiple scouts left Ponce’s pitch as “very dynamic when it’s good.” Since entering the KBO, he has undergone adjustments in Mecanik, and he introduced that he has a fastball speed of up to 98 miles and uses curves, sliders, and changeups.
In the case of Song Sung-moon of Kiwoom Heroes, he introduced himself as a “waiting star” and said, “He is a versatile defender and has grown greatly in terms of offense over the past two seasons.”
The downside was that he was twenty-nine years old. “Compared to players like Kim Ha-sung, it is one step below,” he said, noting that evaluators rate him as a utility player rather than a main player.
As for Kang Baek-ho, who became an FA while playing for KT Wiz, he focused on introducing the player rather than special evaluation.
He said, “There is still a possibility of signing a contract with the KBO team,” but added, “I will come to the U.S. in November to train.” In KBO, he showed a comprehensive batting average of 0.304 OPS of 0.877, and introduced that his batting speed averaged 94 miles and up to 116 miles last season.
Regarding the position, he can see the first base and the outfield, but he also said he could be used as a third catcher. He also added that it does not cost posting money to come as a complete FA.
[San Francisco (USA) = KIM JAE HO, MK Sports Correspondent]