Joe Willand, who played for the KIA Tigers in the KBO League in 2019, challenges the major leagues again.

Oakland announced on its official website on the 21st (Korean time), “The club has signed a minor league contract with right-handed pitcher Willand.” After his contract, he was sent to the Triple-A Las Vegas Evies.

Willand began his professional career after being selected by the Texas Rangers in the 2008 draft. He made his debut in 2012 with the San Diego Padres, then went on to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners and Atlanta Braves. 스포츠토토

In 2017, he turned to Japanese professional baseball and showed good form in his first year with the Yokohama Baystars, recording 10 wins and 2 losses with a 2.94 ERA. However, he crashed with a 4-9 ERA of 4.99 in the 2018 season, and in 2019, he stepped on Korean soil and wore the KIA uniform.

Willand built a foreign pitching team with Jacob Turner, but showed an 8-10 loss, 4.75 ERA, and 137 strikeouts, below expectations. As a result, after the season ended, he was notified that he could not renew his contract, and headed back to the United States.

After that, he signed contracts with the Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays, but never stepped on the big league stage. Last season, he had 5 appearances, 1 loss, 3.00 ERA and 8 strikeouts for the Tampa Bay Triple-A Durham Bulls.

‘MLB Trade Rumors’ said, “Willand won’t play a big role in Oakland either. However, there is a high possibility that he will step on the big league stage this time. It’s because Oakland’s starting lineup isn’t great. He will have to show good form in the minor leagues.”