Former WNC Baseball Star Finds Job Security in Korea
Former WNC Baseball Star Finds Job Security in Korea
Feb 17, 2022
Former WNC Baseball Star Finds Job Security in Korea
The whirlwind past year of DJ Peters big league baseball career is taking him to the Giants.
No, not those Giants.
Peters has made a financial decision to relocate nearly 7,000 miles away in Busan, South Korea, to play for the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization.
Since completing his fabulous Western Nevada College baseball career with a Scenic West Conference MVP award in 2016, Peters made a steady climb through the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league system to finally land in The Show in Major League Baseball in 2021. He played several weeks for 2020 World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers last year before he was reassigned and claimed off waivers by the Texas Rangers.
Despite demonstrating his ability to hit home runs and make outstanding plays in the outfield in a Rangers uniform after the All-Star break, Texas removed DJ from their 40-man roster and sent him to their Triple-A affiliate (Round Rock) after seasons end.
With the uncertainty of returning to the Rangers in 2022 and MLBs labor issues threatening the start of the season, DJ elected for job security in Korea.
He will reportedly make $600,000 plus incentives to play for the Giants in 2022, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Besides the obvious financial advantages of playing in Korea, DJ will benefit from playing every day with the Giants.
The 26-year-old outfielder played in only 70 MLB games last season but still hit 13 homers (12 with the Rangers) and finished with a .242 on-base percentage. He also belted nine doubles and a triple, and knocked in 34 runs. Best of all, DJ was a superlative fielder and a marksman at cutting down baserunners. He didnt commit an error in the outfield in 64 games and was third in the majors with two double plays.
The KBO season starts on April 2 and its 10 teams will play 144 games each 18 fewer than MLB teams.
While other younger players hope that they will have the opportunity to establish themselves in MLB in 2022, DJ wont have to worry about when hell receive his next paycheck and he can focus on the game he loves.