Eric Peddy (30, NC) is not only one of the best starting pitchers in the KBO this season, but he’s also making history as the best foreign pitcher in the league. He’s already posted a 16-6 record and a 2.39 ERA in 23 games, including a win against his former club.
It’s not just about the record. It shows how much of an impact a former major league starter can have on the league. Pedi’s sweeper is a pitch that many players in the KBO are interested in. The way he utilizes his off-speed pitches, including his powerful two-seam fastball, is a great example for young pitchers. It’s like being an “evangelist” for advanced literature. This is why he will be remembered for more than just his record.
There is a lot of speculation that Pedi will leave the KBO after this season. Already, teams from Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball are watching him closely. He is always followed by scouts from three to five teams at every game. “Players have gone through this process in the past, but I don’t think there’s ever been a case where so many clubs have acted simultaneously like this,” said one knowledgeable source.
While Japan may not know, the U.S. already has plenty of data on Pedi. He played six seasons in the major leagues, appearing in 102 games (88 starts). He’s pitched 451⅓ innings in his career. As recently as last year, he was a starter in Washington, throwing 127 innings in 27 games. This is a major league club that has all the data to judge success or failure. Still, seeing Pedi in person is what makes him different.
The Washington Post interviewed Peddie on Thursday (April 4) and covered his offseason journey. According to the publication, Peddie made the move after receiving a no-trade notice from the Nats last year. Peddie originally had a home in Las Vegas, Nevada. But last year, he moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, for a simple reason: He needed help with his pitching. It was to take advantage of a pitching academy.
Arizona is a popular spring training destination for major league teams. Players come to Arizona in January to train privately, get in shape, and then join their team’s spring training in mid-February. There are plenty of baseball-related facilities. Pedi explained that he joined an academy called PUSH to help him. He found this academy, as well as an organized training facility, to develop both his body and his skills.
“I needed to go to Scottsdale and get my shoulders straightened out, dig into the mechanics and stuff like that,” Peddie recalls. We needed to make some basic modifications,” he recalls. The process was relatively successful, with the facility fine-tuning the height of his shoulder and working on the health of his shoulder, which is a prerequisite for that adjustment. The wrist angle and position of the fastball was also looked at by hand, Peddy told The Washington Post.
The grueling training program that preceded the technology made him physically stronger. “I wish I had done it sooner,” he told The Washington Post. When I came out of college, the idea of ‘driveline’ was just starting to become mainstream, and a lot of people in the sport had negative ideas about it.” “I started using a heavier ball this offseason, and it helped me maintain my mechanics,” he reflected.
As a result, Peddie was able to add a lateral sweeper to his slider in place of the bell-shaped slider from last year, which has been a big part of his success in South Korea. Not to mention, it became the “basis for development” that major league teams took notice of. For now, Pedi is happy with his success in Korea and his life in Korea. He doesn’t yet know if he will leave the team or not, but he emphasized that at least 2023 will be a big memory in his life.메이저놀이터
“If the game is canceled, I will go on Instagram from time to time to talk to the fans,” he said. “Imagine a foreign athlete coming to Alabama and learning to speak English with a southern accent. I learned Korean from them (the fans),” he laughed. Pedi was actually filmed speaking awkwardly (?) in Korean on the club’s social media, and many fans exploded.
“Of course, (Pedi’s) goal is to return to the major leagues in the near future,” said the Washington Post. Whether that’s next year or if he needs to prove himself further in South Korea or Japan, Peddy isn’t sure,” and “He is being scouted by major league and Japanese clubs. He thinks his rebuilt arsenal can play against the best competition in the world,” weighing in on Pedi’s U-turn.
But Peddie has a special place in his heart for his year in Korea. “When I’m old and I can’t play anymore, I’m going to be really glad I came here,” he said, “It’s going to be a lot of fun to look back on all of this,” he added, noting the connections he’s made in Korea. NC hopes that the relationship with Pedi will continue.