The Korea Baseball Group’s Doosan Bears have signed right-hander Thomas Hatch, per a staff announcement (h/t to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO). The 30-year-old will earn $1MM in 2025, paid out as a $200K signing bonus and an $800K wage.
A 3rd-round choose by the Cubs within the 2016 draft, Hatch was shipped to Toronto within the 2019 commerce that introduced right-hander David Phelps to Chicago. Hatch subsequently made his large league debut with the Blue Jays only a yr later through the shortened 2020 season and impressed in his first style of huge league motion with a 2.73 ERA in 26 1/3 innings of labor. Strong as that top-level run prevention determine was, nonetheless, there have been some potential pink flags underneath the hood together with an 11.9% stroll price and a moderately pedestrian 4.14 FIP.
Given these regarding peripherals, it wasn’t essentially a shock when the wheels got here off for Hatch a bit through the 2021 season. The proper-hander pitched simply 14 innings within the majors with a ten.93 ERA over the following two years as he walked eight batters and struck out 12. Regardless of these struggles, he continued to publish respectable numbers with Triple-A Buffalo and earned a extra in depth alternative within the majors through the 2023 season. It went moderately nicely for the right-hander, as he posted a strong 4.08 ERA throughout 28 2/3 innings of labor with the Blue Jays and Pirates. Trying underneath the hood, Hatch’s efficiency got here with a powerful 52.3% groundball price and a good 20.2% strikeout price whereas his stroll price dipped to a nonetheless elevated however extra manageable 9.3%.
These promising peripherals and improved outcomes obtained the eye of the Hiroshima Carp of Japan’s Nippon Skilled Baseball, who signed him to a one-year deal final offseason. That first foray into abroad baseball didn’t go particularly nicely for Hatch, as he was relegated to the Carp’s Western League affiliate for a lot of the season after scuffling with the Central League membership. Whereas he dominated in 72 1/3 Western League innings to the tune of a 2.36 ERA, Hatch was torched within the Central League with a 7.36 ERA in 22 innings throughout 5 appearances. These struggles have been evidently sufficient for Hiroshima to half methods with Hatch this winter, main him to go to South Korea to signal with the Bears. Within the KBO, Hatch will lock down a bigger wage than he would’ve been capable of finding in stateside ball and hope to re-establish himself as a pitcher, probably opening the door to a extra profitable return to both NPB or MLB play sooner or later.
