*Photo from the Korea Herald*
Mel Rojas Jr of the Korean Baseball Organization's KT Wiz is reportedly drawing interest from at least 3 MLB teams after he put together an MVP caliber season in the KBO, according to Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors. Rojas has spent the last 4 years with the KT Wiz.
Rojas had a fantastic season for the Wiz, hitting .349 with 47 homers and 135 RBI in 142 games played for the Wiz. In his 4 year KBO career, Rojas is a .321 hitter with 132 home runs and 409 RBI in 511 games played across the 4 seasons overseas. Rojas is a front runner in the KBO MVP race after his outstanding season.
Rojas was chosen in the 3rd round of the MLB draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2010 from Wabash Valley College in Illinois. He bounced around multiple minor league levels in his career, never reaching above Triple A, which prompted him to sign in Korea for their 2017 KBO season. Rojas was a .258 hitter in the minor leagues, with 46 homers and 325 RBI in 8 minor league seasons, all in the Pirates system.
Rojas seems to be following in the footsteps of recent KBO career revivals in MLB, most recently Eric Thames and Josh Lindblom. Thames went to Korea after some disappointing seasons in MLB, which led to him reviving his career, as he won the KBO MVP award for the 2015 season. Thames joined the Milwaukee Brewers in 2017, and was a brilliant power hitting for them. Thames is currently a free agent after his one year deal with the Nationals expired.
Lindblom did the same thing as Thames, heading to Korea after some disappointing times stateside. Lindblom took home the 2019 KBO MVP award, which led to him signing with the Brewers that winter. Lindblom is serving as a versatile pitcher on the Brewers roster, with the ability to serve as both a starter and reliever. Lindblom is under contract until the end of the 2022 season.
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