Much of what you will read about the KBO in sports news is about player changes as the league’s teams prepare for the upcoming season. And we cannot talk about player and lineup changes without talking about Dustin Nippert.
Those who are veterans in sports betting in Korea know how Nippert has been such an asset in the Korean Baseball Organization, or the KBO. Nippert has been in the league for 8 seasons already, and is looking to play at least one more.
Dustin Nippert and the KBO
Dustin Nippert’s career began when he was a draft for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2002. His first major league appearance was in 2005. He was then traded to the Texas Rangers in 2008. As per his record in the majors, he has 14 wins, 16 losses, and a 5.31 ERA.
Nippert is the league’s longest-serving pitcher, and one of the best pitchers ever seen in the league. He is now also a free agent. The pitcher began his career in the KBO back in 2011 with the Doosan Bears. He has a record of 102 wins, 51 losses, and a 3.59 ERA over 214 games. Out of all the foreign players who have served as pitchers for the KBO, Nippert is the only one to record 100 wins.
But despite all of what he has achieved in the past years, Nippert is struggling to find a team for the upcoming season. Nippert hopes for another, maybe even his last year, to play for the Korean league. After playing with the Bears, 2015 was a hard year for Nippert, but he got back on track the following year. That year, Nippert won the Golden Glove award. But he again faltered and left the Bears. He then signed with the Wiz for a year. Since then, his performance has been declining, and despite being physically fit, much younger players have begun to overtake Nippert.
Nippert’s chances of being hired again may largely depend on the availability of foreign player sports in each team. According to league rules, each club may only get 3 foreign players, and only 2 pitchers out of the 3.