Bourgo: Sadowski is bridging the baseball gap between Korea and America
From SABR member Patrick Bourgo at the Korea Times on April 28, 2015:
Ryan Sadowski might be best known in Korea as the ex-pitcher for the Lotte Giants who can speak Korean, but since hanging up his cleats he’s been making a name for himself off the field.
Earlier this year, Sadowski was part of a seminar designed to help foreign players adjust to living and playing in Korea. As someone who has played in both countries, understands Korean culture and speaks Korean, he is in a unique position to help players adjust.
After leaving the KBO in 2012, Sadowski remained active in baseball and his scouting work, as well as a series of articles in Korean, did not go unnoticed by Korean teams. He was hired by the Lotte Giants before the start of this season.
With more than 30 foreign players in the league and the cost of foreign talent on the rise ― especially since the elimination of the salary cap on foreign players ― it’s become more important than ever for teams to maximize the talent of the players they bring over.
Since foreigners started playing in the KBO in 1998, their success rate has been spotty at best, with few players lasting more than one year, and many not even lasting that long. Given the resources that teams pour into bringing these players over, observers have to wonder: Why has there been such a low success rate?
Read the full article here: http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/sports/2015/04/600_177911.html
Originally published: April 29, 2015. Last Updated: April 29, 2015.