The shortstop of the ‘Korean Ramen Maniac’ who was released, why did he re-enlist after 3 years
A foreign hitter who failed to renew his contract after only hitting two homers. He returned to the KBO League again after 3 years. The main character is Edison Russell, a foreign player re-recruited by Kiwoom Heroes.
Russell wore a Kiwoom uniform as a replacement foreign player during the 2020 season. At the time, expectations were high. In 2016, he was the starting shortstop when the Chicago Cubs broke the ‘curse’ and won the World Series.
However, his expectations ended in disappointment. Russell, whose major league career ended at the end of the 2019 season, performed well in the KBO League and dreamed of returning to the big leagues. However, he played in 65 games for Kiwoom and had a batting average of 2.5, 4 ri, 2 homers, 31 RBIs and 22 points. After the season, he failed to renew his contract with Kiwoom and left Korea.
Russell later played in the Mexican League. Last year in the Mexican League, he played a big role with a batting average of 3.48 (97 hits in 279 bats), 24 homers, 74 RBIs, 72 runs, and an OPS of 1.120 in 80 games. He’s a bit of a poor pitcher in the Mexican League, but he has great offensive stats.
Kiwoom, who had a shortstop defense problem in the Korean Series last year, recruited Russell again. Re-recruiting a failed foreign player is not an easy decision. Director Hong Won-ki said, “We need a strong center line. We look forward to a keystone combination with second baseman Kim Hye-sung by recruiting Russell. He will be a solid center line leading to center fielder Lee Jung-hoo.”
“There must be a reason why we did well in the Winter League. I was motivated three years ago, but I think the psychological burden was great. He joined in the middle of the season, so it must have been difficult for him to adapt.”
Russell is bigger than he was three years ago. Russell, whom I met at camp, said, “The 2020 season was a disappointing season for me too. This year, I will work hard to get better grades,” he said. “At that time, I was psychologically anxious. It took time to adapt to the team and the league after coming in the middle, and it was difficult.”
He promised to show a different side of himself this year. Russell said, “Spring camp is the first time for a Korean team. It’s a good opportunity. Unlike last season, it is encouraging to be able to communicate with my colleagues from the beginning and spend more time with them.”
He continued, “Honestly, I thought I wouldn’t be able to come to Korea within 5 years (before I reached my 30s). Most of the foreign players playing in Korea are older players, and I thought so because I was 26 at the time. Thank you for calling me back from Kiwoom,” he confessed.
He also cited ‘ramen’ as the reason why he was happy to return to Korea. Russell said, “I missed Korean ramen the most. There are not many types of Korean ramen in Mexico. It’s so nice to be able to eat a variety of ramen,” he said with a smile. 카지노사이트
Russell is active in communication and skinship with his colleagues. When he eats, he does not eat with foreign players, but sits next to domestic players to eat. He said, “It’s really nice to come back to Kiwoom, and it’s nice to see a familiar player again. I will do my best so that other players can also improve.”
Kiwoom’s young infielders can learn from Russell’s play. Infielder Kim Hui-jip said, “I learn a lot from watching Russell. It will be helpful to me,” he said
