The worst eating and running Korea stage ever → 'Best ever' glass body... Will this year be different

*This content was translated by AI.

Will Birch Smith (36), who played for Hanwha Eagles for a very short time in the past, overcome his injury this year and show a good performance.

Smith has signed a minor contract with the Detroit Tigers ahead of this season, dreaming of making a big league leap forward.

Detroit also has Closer Ko Woo-seok, who represents the KBO League. However, the situation between the two is somewhat different. Smith received an invitation to the spring camp, allowing him to hold a showcase in front of the coaching staff. On the other hand, Ko Woo-seok dreams of entering the big league without joining the spring camp.

If Smith is listed on the Major League roster this season, he will be guaranteed an annual salary of $1.5 million (about 2 billion won). It is by no means a considerable amount for a 36-year-old pitcher.

Smith, who made his major league debut for the San Diego Padres in the 2013 season, has played for various teams. Before entering Korea, he played for the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, and Oakland Athletics (now Athletics).

He then played for the Seibu Lions in the Japanese professional baseball (NPB) in the 2022 season and experienced Asian baseball. Seibu pitched in 20 games, with one win, four holds, one save and 37 strikeouts with an ERA of 3.29 (38 ⅓ innings).

Then, in December 2022, he signed a contract with Hanwha Eagles and raised expectations. However, the result was the so-called "worst meal and run ever." On April 1 of that year, he felt pain in his shoulder while pitching in the opening game against the Kiwoom Heroes, and the examination revealed fine muscle damage.

As a result, this was the first and last match on the Korean stage. He left Korea after playing only one game. The KBO league's performance marked three hits, no four outs, two strikeouts and two runs in two ⅔ innings with an ERA of 6.75.

Of course, Hanwha fans' feelings toward him could not have been good. At the time, some fans visited his personal social networking service (SNS) and delivered messages of criticism. Smith then responded emotionally, saying, "Take care in the garbage country."

Smith is back on the big league stage in the 2024 season. After playing for the Miami Marlins and Baltimore Orioles in the 2025 season, he played for a minor league team under the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, he showed sluggish performance with a 7.08 ERA (16 earned runs in 20 ⅓ innings) with two wins and no losses in 19 games on the Triple-A stage, and eventually suffered the pain of release.

Since then, he has succeeded in rebounding in the Dominican Winter League, with 20 strikeouts in 15 ⅓ innings. Amid this performance, he was eventually called by Detroit ahead of the 2026 season.

However, Smith is always suffering from injuries, so attention is being paid to his physical condition. Smith, who underwent elbow ligament joint surgery (Tommy John Surgery) in 2015, suffered a left abdominal muscle injury in 2019 and was out for the season in 2020 after being diagnosed with a sprained right forearm muscle. Struggled with groin injuries in 2021 and right flank injuries in 2022. In 2024, he was also on the injured list with a sprained right elbow. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a huge 'glass body'.

Will Smith be able to demonstrate his true value in the big leagues without injury in 2026.

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*This content was translated by AI.