Having reunited with the Doosan Bears after a half-season stint last year in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), American left-hander Brandon Waddell isn’t just a year older and wiser.

The 29-year-old believes he is also a better pitcher.

“I’ve added another pitch that has helped me a lot. And so I’m just excited to go out and compete and get back again facing hitters in the KBO,” Waddell told reporters Thursday after a bullpen session at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. Waddell signed with the Bears on June 13 and is scheduled to start Saturday against the Kiwoom Heroes.

“Last year, I had a slider, but it’s more of a hard slider, so I still have that,” he said. “But this year, I also added a slower, bigger slider that has helped me a lot against lefties.”

Waddell first pitched for the Bears in 2022 as a midseason replacement for Ariel Miranda, the 2021 KBO MVP, who 추천 had been struggling with shoulder issues. In 11 starts, beginning in August, Waddell went 5-3 with a 3.60 ERA. In 65 innings, Waddell struck out 40 and walked 24.

It was a solid enough performance that could have merited a new deal, but the Bears went in a different direction. They replaced Waddell and another starter from 2022, Robert Stock, with Dylan File and their one-time ace Raul Alcantara.

Alcantara has come as advertised, ranking second in the KBO with 93 strikeouts and fourth with a 1.94 ERA. File, on the other hand, suffered a head injury after being struck by a comebacker during spring training and was released after just two starts in the KBO.