Connor Joe (30), who can defend first base and outfield, wears a Pittsburgh uniform. Choi Ji-man (31) has one more competitor.

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on the 19th (Korean time), “We acquired Joe through a trade. We sent minor league right-hander Nick Garcia to the Colorado Rockies.”

Joe wore a Pittsburgh uniform with the 39th pick in the first round of the 2014 draft. Joe returned to his hometown team. Joe never blossomed in Pittsburgh. Then, midway through the 2017 season, he moved to the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the 2018 season, he was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the Rule 5 draft and then traded to the San Francisco Giants.

His 2019 season marked his major league debut in San Francisco. But the results were not good. In 8 games, he recorded 1 hit in 15 at-bats, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts, a batting average of 0.067 and an OPS of 0.192. After that, Joe, who went down to the minor leagues, was designated for transfer (DFA). Bad news came after that. Ahead of the 2020 season, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and spent a season recovering.

After the 2020 season, Joe signed with Colorado. In Colorado, Joe showed potential. In the 2021 season, he recorded 51 hits in 179 at-bats, 8 homers, 35 RBIs, 26 runs, 0.285 batting average, and 0.848 OPS in 63 games in the 2021 season. Following this season, he recorded 96 hits in 404 at-bats, 7 homers, 28 RBIs, 55 runs, a batting average of 0.238 and an OPS of 0.697. He also recorded 35 consecutive games on base.

Pittsburgh is working hard to sign a first baseman this season. Pittsburgh, which recruited Choi Ji-man last month, also recruited veteran first baseman Carlos Santana메이저사이트. Then Joe joined Pittsburgh. The American media ‘Pittsburgh Post Gazette’ predicted that Joe would be used as a utility resource, saying, “He plays as a designated hitter and is comfortable in the outfield position. He can also play as first baseman in place of Santana and Choi Ji-man.”

Meanwhile, Choi Ji-man underwent surgery to remove a bone fragment in his right elbow last month. Choi Ji-man, who becomes a free agent after the next season, moves to the United States in January next year to prepare for the new season.