"Shocked" Hanwha's ace who broke up eventually fell into the rotation of "ML starters excluded" → 6. Why?

*This content was translated by AI.

Ryan Weiss (30, Houston Astros), who played an active role in the Hanwha Eagles until last season, is expected to be excluded from the starting rotation.

MLB.com , the official website of the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB), analyzed and released the expected lineup and opening starting rotation of 30 teams on the 2nd (Korea time).

Weiss, who returned to the U.S. stage after playing for the Hanwha Eagles in the Korean KBO League last season, is expected to be difficult to join the starting rotation. For now, there are many starting resources that are superior in terms of experience than Weiss, who has not even made his big league debut yet.

The media was the first to bring up the name of right-hander Hunter Brown in anticipation of Houston's sixth starting rotation. Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai, who was newly hired prior to this season, was then mentioned as the second pitcher.

It was then predicted that Christian Javier, Mike Burrows, Lance McCullers Jr. and Spencer Arighetty would set up a starting rotation. There was no name for Weiss until the sixth starter.

However, the media mentioned Weiss' name as one of the candidates for the starting rotation. The media said, "Houston is likely to move to a six-man selection system at the beginning of the season. As a result, fierce competition is taking place for the last few seats. The candidates include Lance McCullers Jr., Arrighetti, Weiss, Colton Gordon, AJ Bluebach, and Nate Pearson.

Weiss has been in good form in his recent exhibition debut. On the 27th of last month, he took the mound as a relief pitcher for the fifth time against the New York Mets and allowed one hit and two walks in two ⅓ innings. He has 17 strikes out of a total of 32 pitches. The maximum speed of the fastball was 153 kilometers. However, in the local area, Weiss' name is excluded from the starting rotation.

Meanwhile, Weiss first established a relationship with South Korea in June 2024, when Hanwha Eagles recruited Ricardo Sanchez as an alternative foreign player to the injured list due to elbow pain. At that time, he signed a contract with Hanwha for a total of $100,000 ($12,000 down payment, $48,000 in annual salary, $40,000 in incentives) and took the mound in Daejeon. The contract lasted six weeks.

And Weiss performed better than expected. He took the mound in 16 games with a 5-5 record and a 3.73 ERA. In a total of 91 ⅔ innings, he recorded 77 hits (eight homers), 29 walks, and 43 runs (38 earned runs) with 98 strikeouts. Eventually, Hanwha reached out to Weiss again after the end of the 2024 season. Weiss was placed on the condition of up to $950,000 including $750,000 in guaranteed amount (150,000 down payment, 600,000 dollars per year) and $200,000 in incentives.

Weiss continued his strong performance in the 2025 season. He pitched in 30 games, recording 16 wins and 5 losses with a 2.87 ERA. In a total of 178 ⅔ innings, he had 127 hits (13 home runs), 56 walks and 13 physical hits, 63 runs (57 earned runs) with 207 strikeouts. He built a foreign one-two punch with top ace Cody Ponce, who dominated the KBO league, contributing greatly to Hanwha's runner-up finish in the Korean Series.

After the end of the season, Weiss left Hanwha and returned to the U.S. stage. The Houston Astros reached out to him. It was a two-year contract of up to 10 million dollars (about 14.7 billion won). After being guaranteed $2.6 million (about 3.8 billion won) in the 2026 season, it is reported that the 2027 season option is included.

Before coming to Hanwha, Weiss took the mound in 132 games (47 starts) in five minor league seasons and recorded 17 wins, 14 losses and a 4.88 ERA. In 313 ⅓ innings, he struck out 294 and gave up 106 walks. The strikeout/walk ratio was 2.79, which was observed. In 2023, he played for Fubang Guardians, a Taiwanese professional baseball team, and experienced Asian baseball. He has yet to make his major league debut.

After recruiting Weiss, Houston general manager Dana Brown said, "The reason I like him is because he is dedicated," adding, "He went to Korea and succeeded in rebounding in his career." The speed was raised to 97 miles (156.1 kilometers). It also has a great second pitch, 94 miles (151.3 kilometers). I hope he will join the spring camp and compete for the starting rotation position," he said.

"There are two factors that I consider the most important as a starter. "The fact that the fastball is used very well and that it is large and strong," he said. "WICE has a tall height of 193 centimeters, strong shoulders, and a strong lower body. It also has durability. He also showed his strikeout and innings skills. He expressed his expectations, saying, "I will have enough opportunities to pitch in the big league." When will Weiss make his big league debut in the 2026 season. What kind of performance will he perform.

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*This content was translated by AI.