[Official Announcement] Kiwoom Heroes abruptly releases Brooks, the only foreign hitter without a home run; signs Kim Hye-seong's rival, Keiston Hira

*This content was translated by AI.

Kiwoom Heroes has abruptly decided to replace its foreign hitter to strengthen its lineup. Instead of Brenton Brooks (31), who was the only one among the 10th teams' foreign hitters to fail to hit a home run, the team has signed Keiston Hira (30), who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this season.

Kiwoom Heroes officially announced on the 18th that it "requested a waiver public notice for foreign hitter Trenton Brooks from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and signed infielder Keiston Hira as the new foreign hitter." The club signed Hira to a contract totaling $500,000, including a salary of $400,000 and an option of $100,000.

Hira, who is from the United States, is a player known for his fast bat speed and ability to generate powerful hits. His outstanding power hitting is his greatest strength, and defensively, he can play both first base and second base.

Hira boasts an impressive career. He was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round, ninth overall, in the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. Making his MLB debut in 2019, Hira played in 84 games that year, recording 95 hits, 19 home runs, 49 RBIs, and a .303 batting average, leaving a strong impression in the big leagues. He is known to domestic baseball fans as a player who spent his prime years with Milwaukee.

He continued his career with the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, Colorado Rockies, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Over six seasons in the major leagues, he played in 302 games, recording 231 hits, 50 home runs, 134 RBIs, a .235 batting average, and an OPS of 0.756. Among these, he hit double-digit home runs in three seasons (2019, 2020, and 2022), earning recognition for his power hitting on the American stage. In the minor leagues, he played in 560 career games, posting excellent statistics with 631 hits, 120 home runs, 376 RBIs, 28 stolen bases, a .298 batting average, and an OPS of 0.924.

Ahead of this season, Hira, who had competed with Kim Hye-seong for a roster spot while wearing the Dodgers uniform, was released by the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate, the Oklahoma City Comets, on the 4th and became a free agent.

The club stated, "We replaced the foreign hitter to strengthen the lineup, and we expect Hira, who possesses power, to bring new vitality to the team's offense."

Meanwhile, Brooks was also let go. Although he showed decent performance early in the season, his hitting pace declined as the season progressed, making it impossible to avoid release. In 41 games this season, he recorded a .217 batting average (31 hits in 143 at-bats), no home runs, 16 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) of 0.545. He ultimately left the Korean stage without hitting a single home run.

Meanwhile, Hira is scheduled to enter the country through Incheon International Airport on the 20th and will join the team immediately after completing administrative procedures such as visa issuance.

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*This content was translated by AI.