'A Dream Ultimately Unfulfilled' Bae Ji-hwan Released Again by Mets After PIT... 'Triple-A Batting Average 0.257', No Call-Up to the Big Leagues

*This content was translated by AI.

Bae Ji-hwan (29) has suffered another setback, being released by the New York Mets following his initial release from the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he began his Major League Baseball (MLB) career.

The Syracuse Mets, a Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets, announced on the 5th (Korean time) via the club's official website that they have released Bae Ji-hwan.

After joining the Mets in November last year, Bae Ji-hwan was never called up to the major leagues and ultimately had to pack his bags.

This season, he played 91 games exclusively in Triple-A, posting a batting average of 0.257 (81 hits in 315 at-bats), with 5 home runs, 32 RBIs, 59 runs scored, and 36 stolen bases. His OPS (on-base plus slugging) stood at 0.728.

Bae Ji-hwan signed a contract worth $1.25 million (approximately 1.781 billion won) with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2018 and spent eight seasons with the same team before finally achieving his dream of reaching the major leagues in 2022.

His performance in the minor leagues provided overwhelming support for that achievement. In 2022, playing for the Indianapolis Indians, the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate, he recorded a batting average of 0.289, an on-base percentage of 0.362, a slugging percentage of 0.430, and an OPS of 0.792.

Called up to the major leagues that year, Bae Ji-hwan played in 10 games, hitting .333 with an on-base percentage of 0.405, a slugging percentage of 0.424, and an OPS of 0.825, raising expectations.

The following season, he appeared in 111 major league games, batting .231 (77 hits in 334 at-bats) with 2 home runs, 32 RBIs, 54 runs scored, and 24 stolen bases. His on-base percentage was 0.296, slugging percentage 0.311, and OPS 0.607. It was the season in which he received the most opportunities in the major leagues.

It was inevitable. In Triple-A, he delivered an overwhelming performance with a batting average of 0.344, an on-base percentage of 0.462, a slugging percentage of 0.531, and an OPS of 0.993 across nine games.

Injuries hampered him in 2024. He suffered a hip injury ahead of the season and was sidelined in early June due to a right wrist sprain. Nevertheless, he continued to dominate in the minor leagues with a batting average of 0.345, an on-base percentage of 0.435, a slugging percentage of 0.510, and an OPS of 0.945. However, in the major leagues, he managed only a .189 batting average and a 0.463 OPS in 29 games.

Last season, he also performed well in the minor leagues with a batting average of 0.292, an on-base percentage of 0.380, a slugging percentage of 0.420, and an OPS of 0.800. Yet in the major leagues, he managed just one hit in 20 at-bats for a .050 batting average, leading to his eventual release from the team.

While his ability to play both infield and outfield positions and his speed were strengths, this season saw significant struggles at the plate even in the minor leagues. Ultimately, he was not promoted once again and had to face another bitter defeat.

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*This content was translated by AI.