Dan Staley, 36, who joined Lotte in 2020, is considered one of the most successful foreign players in the club’s history. Notably, his 205 strikeouts, which he recorded in 194 ⅔ innings in 31 games in his first season in 2020, remains a masterpiece.
With the 200-strikeout genealogy on the verge of being cut off even when looking at the entire league, Staley surpassed the milestone based on his overwhelming strikeout capability. In Lotte’s history, he was the first player in the 21st century to strike out 200. Staley, who continued the mega hit in Lotte and Busan, who was specially named Choi Dong-won, had no choice but to receive special love.
Staley returned to the U.S. after playing 31 games in 2021, but returned to ace mode in the second half as a substitute for the 2022 team. Then, after playing 16 games in 2023, he said goodbye to Lotte and returned to the U.S. Over his four seasons in the KBO League, he played 89 games, recording a successful 32-23 record with a 3.29 ERA.
After being kicked out of the Lotte Giants, Staley is practically preparing for his final challenge with his career. A promising player who was among the top 100 players in the U.S. when he was a child, Staley made his debut in the Major League in Oakland in 2012, and played in 156 MLB games (140 starts) until 2019. He has 44 wins in the Major League alone. However, he has not returned to the Major League since joining the KBO.
Staley’s final task now is to play at least one more game in the Major League and finish his active career. Considering his age, it is not easy to play in foreign leagues. However, the challenge is getting weaker. Although he signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs ahead of this season, he has not been able to make a call-up due to his poor minor league performance.
Staley is playing as a starting pitcher for the Iowa Cubs, the Triple-A team under his team. He started in seven of eight Triple-A games this year. This illustrates that the club is considering it as a reserve starting resource. However, he pitched only 33 ⅔ in these eight games, and has lost four games with a 6.42 ERA. His batting average is 0.296, which is close to .300, and WHIP is also high at 1.78. 동행복권파워볼
He has never played six innings in the game as a starter this season, and his overall speed has dropped, showing off his strong performance. Even if he uses a long relief pitcher, he has to show off his ability to stably block two to three innings, which is not the case. This is why Major League teams cannot afford to utilize the relief pitcher.
If the performance continues as it is, there is no guarantee of a future after this season. He will turn 37 next year, and he is old enough to be reluctant even in the U.S., where pitchers are scarce. If he can’t even sign a minor league contract, he has to play for Dominica or Mexico and wait for a chance, which is up to Straley’s own choice. If he has a minimum performance this year, he can continue his dream of trying for the Major League.