*This content was translated by AI.
Luis Liberato (31, Dominican Republic), an alternative foreign hitter who led the Hanwha Eagles to second place in the regular season and second place in the Korean Series last year, will eventually head to the Taiwanese stage. As there are many foreign players heading to Korea from Taiwan, there is a possibility that they will return to the KBO League stage in the future.
Reporter David Alcantara, who mainly deals with baseball news in the Dominican Republic, cited sources on his personal social networking service (SNS) on the 6th (Korea time) and said, "Riverato no longer plays for Los Del Este in the Dominican Winter League."
After posting a video of the interview with Liberato, Alcantara said, "Riverato is going to Taiwan." Liberato said, "I'm sad to leave my current team, but I'm happy to sign a new contract."
In the end, Liberato will start the 2026 season in Taiwan, not in Korea, Japan, or the United States.
Liberato is a particularly beloved player for Hanwha fans. In June last year, Liberato joined Hanwha as an alternative foreign hitter in place of Esteban Floral (29), who was on the rehabilitation list with a right pinkie shoulder fracture (bone fragment production). The contract period was six weeks, and the contract size was $50,000 in total.
Prior to joining Hanwha, Liberato played seven games in the major leagues. In addition, he played in a total of 910 games in 11 seasons in the minor leagues, with a batting average of 0.254, 86 homers, and an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of 0.746. While playing in the Mexican league last year, he was called by Hanwha and was able to step on Korean soil.
And Liberato played an outstanding role in Hanwha. In 62 games, he played a batting average of 0.313 (77 hits in 246) with 10 home runs, 18 doubles, two triples, 39 RBIs, 41 runs, one stolen base (0 failure), 23 walks and 47 strikeouts, a slugging percentage of 0.524, an on-base percentage of 0.366, an OPS of 0.890, and a scoring batting average of 0.339.
Hanwha signed a formal contract with Riverato in mid-July instead of terminating the contract with Floral when Riverato adapted well to the team. At that time, Hanwha's decision to make this background was ultimately due to Liberato's ability. Hanwha made the decision after judging that it is helpful for the team to use Liberato, which is strong in terms of hitting, rather than waiting for Esteban Floral, who is rehabilitating due to a finger injury, to recover his sense of play. He explained, "He is playing a good role as a catalyst for the lineup."
After the end of the season, Liberato played in five playoff games with a batting average of 0.389 (7 hits in 18 at-bats), one double, two RBIs and seven runs, one stolen base (0 failed), five walks and one strikeout, a slugging percentage of 0.611 and a on-base percentage of 0.522. However, in the five games of the Korean Series, he slowed down a little with a batting average of 0.111 (2 hits in 18 at-bats) with one double, one run, four walks, and six strikeouts. Eventually, after the 2025 season, Hanwha chose Jonathan Peraza, who had been with the Eagles in the past, and Liberato was forced out.
After the end of the 2025 season, Liberato, who played in the Dominican Winter League, will be able to continue his career on the Asian stage again. Recently, the KBO League sees the Taiwanese league as a source of foreign players and is actively using it. In addition, foreigners who suffered from release in the KBO league often continue their careers in the Taiwanese league. If Liberato performs well on the Taiwanese stage, he can be seen on the radar of KBO league clubs at any time.
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*This content was translated by AI.
