Samsung Lions foreign pitcher Taylor Widener, 29, left some concerns with his jagged pitches during his time with the NC Dinos. He wasn’t terrible, going 4-2 with a 4.52 ERA in 11 starts for NC, but he lacked the impact to back up ace Eric Peddy. That’s why NC moved quickly to release Widener in favor of newcomer Tanner Tully, 29.
It looked like his KBO career was over, but the Samsung Lions, who were looking for a replacement for Albert Suarez, who suffered a calf injury, reached out to Widener. With so much uncertainty around new foreign pitchers, Widener, who had already acclimated to the KBO, was a “lottery ticket worth scratching. In fact, in two appearances in a Samsung uniform, Widener went 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA (4 earned runs in 12.2 innings). In his most recent start, he earned his fifth win against the KIA Tigers in Daegu on April 18, allowing five hits and no runs over six innings while striking out seven.
Widener is reminiscent of Ryan Firband, 38, who was released by the Nexen Heroes (now Kiwoom) in 2016 and joined the KT Wiz to continue his career. He wore a KT uniform from August 2016 to 2018, and in 2017, he led the league in ERA (3.04). While he didn’t win many games due to KT’s lack of full strength at the time, he was a mainstay in the starting rotation, pitching over 160 innings every year until 2018. He successfully extended his career after being rehired. 카지노
Like Peirce, Widener is another pitcher with the potential to have a successful career. He’s had his ups and downs, but he hasn’t fallen apart in one fell swoop, so he’s a pitcher who can reach double digits in wins if he refines his mechanics. If Widener stays consistent for the rest of the season, it’s worth it for Samsung to keep him on board. There’s also a silver lining in that he’s been getting better with each start. He has gone at least six innings in each of his last four games, including the NC. Once he’s completely free of the back pain that plagued him earlier in the season, there’s a good chance he’ll be able to improve his stuff even more. Could Widener have a similar turnaround story to Peavy?