Infielder Taylor Motor (34), who was released early with a batting average of 10% in the KBO League Kiwoom Heroes three years ago, was included in the opening roster of the Major League St. Louis Cardinals.
The ‘St. Louis Post-Dispatch’ reported on the 27th (Korean time) that the 26 players on the St. Louis opening roster had a motor. It is the first major league roster entry in six years since the Seattle Mariners in 2017. 스포츠토토
Motor signed a minor contract with St. Louis last November and joined this spring training. In the demonstration games, he recorded a batting average of 2.35 li (12 hits in 51 at-bats), 3 homers, 6 RBIs, 10 walks, 15 strikeouts, and an OPS of .773 in 22 games, covering the defense of all infield positions.
“I wanted to show that I can still compete every day and play baseball at a high level,” Motor said. It was 6-7 years ago that I entered the opening roster. It’s been a long time, but it’s as special as being on the opening roster for the first time.”
Motor, who debuted at the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016, has a batting average of 109.1 (77 hits in 404 at-bats), 10 homers, 38 RBIs, and an OPS of .572 in 159 games in 5 major league seasons until last year. He played 92 individual games for Seattle in 2017, batting 1.9 8 Lee (51-for-258) with 7 home runs, 26 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.
However, he failed to establish himself in the major leagues with a batting average of 10%, and in 2019 he only stayed in the minor leagues. After all, he came to Korea in 2020. He signed a contract with Kiwoom for the lowest ransom among foreign players that year for a total of $350,000, but he packed up early with lower-than-expected results.
With a batting average of 101, 4 (4 hits in 35 at-bats), 1 home run, 3 RBIs, and an OPS of .335 in 10 games, even the defense at third base was insecure. Her girlfriend, who was in her common-law relationship, expressed dissatisfaction with the Corona 19 self-isolation environment on social media after entering Korea, and controversy arose when the motor shared this article. In the end, it was released within a month of opening.
However, he returned to the United States and succeeded in rebounding. In 2021-2022, he received a call-up to the big leagues while showing slugging power of more than 20 home runs (24, 20) in Triple A for two consecutive years. In 2021, he played 13 games, 3 games, and 2 games for the Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox, and last year’s Cincinnati Reds, respectively.
Motor, who signed a minor contract with St. Louis on the basis of his triple-A performance for two years, was recognized for his utility value with his excellent defense in demonstration games. Attention is focusing on whether the motor, which will face the opening game in the major leagues again after six years, will survive until the end of the season. /waw@osen.co.kr