KBO: A guide to the Korea Baseball Organization and its teams

As the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) kicks off its season, after a two-month delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, we take you through the teams, the stars, and the rivalries.

Baseball fans, rejoice! After a two-month suspension due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, which back in February started attacking the Korean peninsula, the KBO has finally begun its 2020 season on May 5th, becoming the second baseball league in Asia to do so, following Taiwan’s CPBL.

This creates great hopes for fans on the American continent; after all, if Korea managed to control the pandemic and restart sporting activities — albeit behind closed doors, without fans present — there is a way forward for MLB and other leagues to resume in a similar manner. Even better, American network ESPN has reached an agreement with the KBO to air six live games per week, making it accessible for people this side of the world to become fans ourselves.

As the highest level of live baseball happening right now, let us catch you up with information about the teams that make up the KBO, and the history of the league itself.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) was first established in 1981, and the first competition took place the following year. Six teams were founded for the first Korea Baseball Championship, known today as the KBO League. However, the history of baseball in Korea goes way back in time.

The game was first introduced to the peninsula by Western Christian missionaries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In its first decades of existence, baseball was only an exhibition sport, as American big leaguers played some games to promote it all across Asia, but amateur leagues and school competitions formed soon after, and games were held against teams from the older and more reputable Japanese League (NPB).

It wasn’t until the aforementioned ’80s that a complete top-tier professional league was established. The KBO nowadays is comprised of 10 teams, which, unlike their American counterparts, are named after their corporate sponsors, rather than the geographical situation.

With only 10 teams, the KBO has no divisions, and teams play against each other exactly 16 times for a 144-game regular-season schedule. In the end, the top five teams make playoffs, which are played in a structure that wildly differs from the MLB’s. Here, the regular-season seeding matters way more, giving teams a bigger incentive to reach the higher qualification spots.

The playoffs begin with the fourth- and fifth-place teams playing a best-of-three, with the fourth-place team starting with a built-in 1-0 advantage. The winner takes on the third-place team in a best-of-five, and the winner of that series faces the second-place team in another best-of-five. The winning team takes on the first-place team in the Korean Series, played as a best-of-seven.

Now that we have cleared that out, let’s cover the teams that play in this exciting league, their histories, their key players and maybe even MLB team comparisons to help you choose a KBO team:

Doosan Bears

Originally based in Daejeon, but later moving to Seoul, the Bears are one of the six original teams in the league. They’re one of the most successful squads in recent years, conquering the championship a total of six times, including three times since 2015, including last year when they swept the Kiwoom Heroes in four games. The closest MLB team we could compare them to is perhaps the San Francisco Giants since they have a similar history of heartbreak — years of getting close to the title but falling short in the key moments — which is compensated by several recent victories.

As one of the teams situated in the capital, they share a stadium with the LG Twins, and this creates one of the biggest rivalries in Korean Sports. which is way more intensified when they meet in the playoffs.

2019 results: 88-55 (Tied-1st), Korean Series Champions.

Batters to watch: Among the most important foreign players in the league, we can point out DH/first baseman Jose Miguel Fernandez. He’s not precisely a power hitter, but there is some dynamite in his swing, and a very decent on-base percentage plus great contact statistics to boot. Last year, he had a batting line of  .344/.409/.483, with 15 home runs and 88 RBI, and led the league in hits with 197.

Pitchers to watch: In the pitching department, we can look at the storied veteran lefty Yoo Hee-Kwan, who was 10th in the league last year with a 3.25 ERA, 21-year old rising star Lee Young-ha, and reliever Lee Hyung-bum. During the offseason, the Bears lost two of the most important pitchers in their Championship year: Josh Lindblom, who led the league in wins and strikeouts and received the Choi Dong-won award (the KBO’s Cy Young equivalent) in both 2018 and 2019, left for a well-deserved MLB contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, and Seth Frankoff, who had multiple injury issues in 2019 but still finished with a good 3.61 ERA and is now in the San Diego Padres system.

MLB talent: Besides the aforementioned Lindblom and Frankoff, several current or former Bears play or have played in the American big leagues. Among them, we can mention Raul Alcantara, who is part of the 2020 Doosan team but has played with the Oakland A’s; Fernandez, who played for the Los Angeles Angels, and new signing Chris Flexen, who pitched 68 innings in the majors for the Mets from 2017-19.

MLB squad comparison?: For its history, the San Francisco Giants, and for its style of play, featuring a solid, eclectic starting rotation, the 2019 Washington Nationals.

Hanwha Eagles

The Eagles are a team that stands out for the beauty of their home stadium, the Hanwha Life Insurance Eagles Park, located in Daejeon, and for being the first team to emerge after the original six, debuting in 1986.

This is a team with a bit of tumultuous history and a spotty performance record; on one hand, they were the first to ever reach a Korean Series three times in a row, but on the other, they’re kind of an unlucky team that, in their 35 seasons in the league, have been champions only once (1999).

The recent years haven’t been friendly to the Eagles either; since 2008, they’ve only been in the playoffs once, and right now, they’re in the middle of a rebuild, as the organization recently signed former player Jeong Ming-Chul to be their new GM.

2019 results: 58-86 (9th place)

Batters to watch: Undoubtedly, the Eagles player you should watch is the 38-year-old star Kim Tae-Kyun. After all, he’s one of the very few players in any league in the world to hit over .300 for ten consecutive seasons. Yes, his greatest years are behind him now, when he used to hit more than 20 HR and have walk rates over 17 percent, but he’s still giving us a great batting line, putting up an impressive .305/.382/.395 in 2019.

Also noteworthy is American outfielder Jared Hoying, who finished the 2019 campaign with a .284/.340/.460 slash line, and had 22 stolen bases, ranking ninth in the league.

In terms of local talent, 20-year-old Jung Eun-Won is a utility infielder that is showing serious signs of promise and power, and already hit a double on Opening Day.  New arrival, former Doosan Bear Choi Jae-Hun, is set to take over the team, after having a spectacular 2019 with a 3.6 WAR and a .361 wOBA and .290/.398/.362 slash line.

Pitchers to watch: The team’s best pitcher is Australian hurler Warwick Saupold. He debuted for the Eagles last year with a 3.51 ERA, a 3.49 FIP, and a 6.30 K/9, and led the squad with a 3+ WAR. Saupold has a four-seamer (90-92 mph), cutter (87-89), curveball (79-81), and change-up (85-87).

Closer Jung Woo-ram is also impressive; he’s not a flamethrower, rather opting for a finesse approach, and has a varied arsenal that includes a fastball, circle-change, a particularly venomous curveball, and even a rare splitter, that helped him collect 26 saves with a team-leading 3.31 FIP and 1.20 WHIP.

MLB talent: The Eagles are mostly known for one thing: Being the original home to MLB superstar Ryu Hyun-jin, who will pitch in 2020 for the Blue Jays after an amazing 2019 with the Dodgers in which he led the league in ERA.

In today’s team, we can count former Texas Rangers Jared Hoying and pitcher Chad Bell, and of course, Saupold, who once was a prospect for the Detroit Tigers.

MLB squad comparison?: The Baltimore Orioles, and not only for the colors. Both teams are in the middle of a rebuild, after having disastrous seasons with sub-.500 records, but both teams have very exciting players, beautiful stadiums, and loyal, fierce fandoms.

KIA Tigers

The Tigers are the historical giants of the KBO. They’re the team with the most overall Championships (11) after winning nine in the first 15 years of the League. The team based in Gwangju last won the title in 2017, and it stands out as the team with the most knowledgeable fanbase, since many of their supporters are complete baseball nerds, and its community values baseball traditions very dearly.

However, their 2019 didn’t go so well. Despite having the league ERA leader, the team finished 7th, with a sub-.500 record, a reflection of its inner leadership issues that were brewing from right after their 2017 title season.

But now they have an American manager, former player Matt Williams, who is tasked to turn the team around into a contender.

2019 results: 62-80 (7th place)

Batters to watch: Their batting suffered this season after the loss of second baseman Ahn Chi-hong to the Lotte Giants, but they still have 36-year-old Choi Hyung-woo as a star hitter. Last year, he managed to get a respectable .300/.412/.485 slash line, with 17 home runs, 86 RBI, and about 4.5 WAR. Among their foreigners, we can see American lefty Preston Tucker, who came to the team last year, playing only 95 games but collecting a .311/.382/.479 slash line, with 50 runs scored and 50 batted in.

Pitchers to watch: Tiger’s pitching leader is, without a doubt, the great Yang Hyeon-jong. Yang was the League’s MVP in 2017 when they got the trophy, but he since remained great even in the face of a regressing season for the rest of the squad. Yang was 2019’s league ERA leader at 2.29, and he posted an astonishing 16-8 record with 163 strikeouts and a 1.07 WHIP in 184.2 IP.

When it comes to relievers, the big name is  Moon Kyeong Chan, who saved 24 games while compiling a 1.31 ERA last year.

MLB talent: The KIA Tigers have some interesting former MLB talent in the form of right-hander Aaron Brooks, who played in the majors just last year, going 6-8, 5.65 in 29 games with the A’s and the Orioles. Having Williams in the dugout is a face that MLB fans will recognize and interesting storyline to watch as well.

MLB squad comparison?: For its history, the Yankees, since they have the most titles, but for its style of play, we’d say either the Cleveland Indians or the Texas Rangers, teams with good pitching, but that will be challenged in the batting department.

Kiwoom Heroes

Heroes are one of those teams that you don’t expect to go too far, but find a way to surprise everyone with their results. They’re one of the Metropolitan Seoul teams, which has given them a lot of exposure and a large fandom.

They shocked the nation last year when they went all the way to the Korean Series after finishing third in the regular schedule. They’re known for their incredible ability to come out in the clutch.

They’re also a young team, as the organization was first established in 2008, and reached the final for the first time in 2019. Since they’re the only team not owned by a massive parent company, they’re considered a small-budget team with the capacity to excel at Moneyball and amaze the entire KBO.

2019 results: 86-57 (3rd place), Korean Series runners-up.

Batters to watch: The Kiwoom Heroes are proud to have perhaps the most exciting power-hitter in the whole league, in first baseman Park Byung-ho. He had a monstrous 2019, despite playing only 122 games, collecting a .280/.405/.560 slash line, and hitting 33 HR, which contributed to a mind-shattering .966 OPS. His best season was 2015, where he reached 53 HR in 140 games, solidifying him as Korea’s top slugger. Granted, this was the time before the KBO famously “de-juiced” the ball, but Park’s hitting marks remain fairly consistent over the years. 

Pitchers to watch: One of the league’s best pitchers is Kiwoom Heroes starter, Jake Brigham. Brigham in his fourth year as a Hero, and in 2019 he went 13-5 with a 2.96 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and 130 strikeouts in 158.1 IP. He’s notable not only for his control and smart pitching but also for allowing few home runs, putting up a fantastic 0.28 HR/9.

MLB talent: Both Park Byung-ho and Jake Brigham are former MLB-ers; the former played for the Minnesota Twins during the 2016 season and the latter was drafted by the Texas Rangers in 2006, but he made his MLB debut in 2015 with the Braves.

MLB squad comparison?: Definitely the Tampa Bay Rays, a relatively young organization known for giving remarkable performances and reaching the postseason quite often despite being a small-market team.

KT Wiz

The Wiz are by far the youngest team in the league, reaching the top-tier status in 2015 after a few years in the developmental “second-division” competition, known as the Futures League. They’re a team on the rise, finishing at .500 last year for the first time since its inception, and are located in Suwon, a smaller city that is also just rising both economically and culturally.

Youth is not only a feature of the organization, but it’s also part of the team itself as well since they’re registered as the third-youngest lineup and the youngest pitching squad in the KBO.

2019 results: 71-71 (6th place).

Batters to watch: Kang Baek-ho, who first emerged in 2018 and became the Rookie of the Year as a left fielder, establishing the rookie HR record with 29 dingers. Last year, he finished fourth in batting average with .336, but most importantly, his walk rate rose from 8.9 percent to 12.1 percent, and he cut his strikeout rate from 21.2 percent to 17.2 percent. We can consider him as the KBO’s Christian Yelich.

Also worth mentioning is Mel Rojas Jr., the team’s most reliable batter, who had a noteworthy .322/.384/.530 batting line, with 24 HR and 104 RBI in 2019. His .914 OPS puts him near the league’s best, and he’s poised to have an even better season in 2020.

Pitchers to watch: The leading pitcher in the KT Wiz roster are both foreigners of Latino origin: William Cuevas and Odrisamer Despaigne.

Venezuelan starter Cuevas is perhaps the most improved pitcher in his transition from MLB to the KBO, cutting his walk rate from a sky-high 6.85 BB/9 to 3.08 in Korea, complete with a 3.62 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 184 innings.

Cuban pitcher Despaigne is yet to prove his worth, but even after a rocky 2019 in the U.S., Despaigne is a promising thrower that had good numbers in his rookie season in San Diego (2014) with a 3.36 ERA. He’s hoping to make a KBO comeback like so many players in the past have.

MLB talent: Rojas, Cuevas, and Despaigne have played in the Majors, with Cuevas being the slightly more successful one, appearing in in 13 games with the Red Sox and Tigers from 2016-18.

MLB squad comparison?: There are three teams that come to mind, all known for being young and on the rise, despite recent negative records: The Seattle Mariners, the San Diego Padres and the Toronto Blue Jays.

LG Twins

The Twins are one of the original six that joined in 1982, and have two titles to their name, in 1990 and 1994. However, they have had a difficult 21st century, last reaching the Korean Series in 2002, and not reaching the postseason in a seemingly eternal 2003-2012 stretch.

But the Twins are still tough contenders; last year, they were fourth in the regular season, earning a Wild Card spot after a win against the NC Dinos, although they fell to the Kiwoom Heroes in the semi-final matchup.

2019 results:  79-64 (4th place), Wild Card winners.

Batters to watch: Among Korean batters, there are two players to watch, one is a medium-power guy, and the other is good for contact and speed.

The first one is Kim Hyun-soo, the left fielder who is in his 13th KBO season and has impressively put up a career .321 average and an even more impressive .902 OPS. The latter, Lee Chung-woong, is one of the league’s best lead-off hitters, hitting .308/.378/.374 with  88 runs, 48 RBI, and 21 stolen bases in 2019.

The other one is a foreigner, Roberto Ramos, who hit .309/.400/.580 with 30 home runs at Triple-A Albuquerque last year, and was considered one of the best Rockies prospects, but without a space to play in the Colorado organization he opted for a contract with the LG Twins last January.

Pitchers to watch: The Twins’ pitching staff is a two-headed force, comprised of pitchers Casey Kelly and Tyler Wilson. Kelly had a great 2019 when it comes to ERA, poasting a 2.55 — fourth in the KBO — despite a 14-12 record, with a 1.14 WHIP, and 128 SO in 180.1 IP. Closely behind him, coming sixth in ERA was teammate Wilson, who posted a 2.92 mark in a higher 192 innings.

MLB Talent: Kelly and Wilson have both been in the MLB, even Kim Hyun-soo, who played with Baltimore and Philadelphia in 2016 and 2017. Ramos was a Colorado Prospect but never debuted in the top level.

MLB squad comparison?: Historically, a team that had an amazing 1990s and remain a contender despite not reaching the biggest stages is easily comparable to the Atlanta Braves, but as for its style of play and dominance of its starting pitchers, it feels more akin to today’s New York Mets.

Lotte Giants

The Giants are not as successful as their rivals KIA Tigers, but they still have two titles to their name, one in 1984 and the other in 1992. They’re based in Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city, and one that’s rising in prominence in the last few years.

The Giants though, haven’t been as relevant as their home city lately. They are one of the founding six and had brilliant early history, but the last time they went to the postseason was in 2017 when they quickly fell to the NC Dinos, and in 2019 they finished dead last, ten games behind 9th place Hanwha Eagles.

2019 results: 48-93 (10th place)

Batters to watch: The Giants were a struggling team offensively, but we can point at veteran left-fielder Jeon Jun-woo as their best hitter. In 2019, he gave us 22 dingers, with a .840 OPS, and 3.84 WAR, the squad’s highest. Also worth mentioning is infielder Dixon Machado, who played a few years with the Detroit Tigers and just joined Lotte for the 2020 season, and he already hit a home run on Opening Day.

Pitchers to watch: Two foreign-born pitchers will get the most attention out of this team: Adrian Sampson and Dan Straily. The latter is poised to be the more dominant; he’s in his 31-year-old season, and his strikeout rate was good (around 18-20 percent) during time with a number of MLB teams. Sampson is much younger and has a higher ceiling, but even now he boasts remarkable control, with an enviable 2-4 percent walk rate through the minors.

MLB talent: Straily, as previously stated, has played for a lot of teams, from the A’s to the Astros, to the Marlins, the Reds, and finishing his stint last year with the Orioles. Machado was most known as a Tiger but finished his MLB time with the Chicago Cubs.

MLB squad comparison?: Curiously enough, the other Giants. Their mix of young players and veterans, and even their expectations for the 2020 season are quite similar.

NC Dinos

The Dinos were founded in 2011 originally to be part of the Futures League, but after one year, they debuted in the highest circuit, and have racked some impressive numbers, including a runner-up spot in the 2016 Korean Series.

A team with such great results almost right from its KBO inception can mean one thing: They’re really good in the analytics department. Already with a reputation for being an analytics-friendly team, the Dinos hired SABR member Patrick Bourgo as a front-office man covering various positions, most importantly as a sort of cultural bridge, helping foreign players to adapt to Korean baseball and culture.

2019 results: 73-69 (5th place), lost Wild Card matchup.

Batters to watch: The Dinos are fortunate to have the best offensive catcher in Korea in former Doosan Bear Yang Eui-ji; he not only batted a solid .354/.438/.574 line in his Dinos debut in 2019, but he was also the league’s God of WAR.

We can also mention the return of star outfielder Sung Bum-na, who only played 23 games in 2019 due to injury. He’s been one of the staples of the Dinos since 2013, with a career slash line of .316/.386/.534 and 145 homers.

As for foreigners, newcomer Aaron Althurr is also worth watching. He played Triple-A ball in the Mets organization last year, and he could provide some needed power for the Dinos.

Pitchers to watch: The most obvious choice would be Drew Rucinski, who finished 12th in the league in WAR with 3.6 and had a solid 3.05 ERA and 1.18 WHIP despite his 9-9 record. However, the same could be said about 23-year-old lefty Koo Chang-mo, who presented a 10-7 win-loss record with a 3.20 ERA and 114 K in 107 innings, leading the league in K/9 with 9.59.

MLB Talent: Oh, definitely; after all, this is the team that was once home to none other than Eric Thames. He was not only good, he even was called God (not a joke) during his time in Korea, racking up a formidable .349/.457/.721 line with 124 home runs during his three-year stint in the KBO.

As for current Dinos, Rucinski played for the Marlins in 2018, going 4-2, 4.33 as a reliever for the Florida team, and Aaron Altherr played for several teams before falling off to Triple-A. Mike Wright, a pitcher who is also a recent singing, had a time with the Orioles and the Seattle Mariners that didn’t go particularly well.

MLB squad comparison?: Funny enough, the Milwaukee Brewers, which also had Eric Thames among their ranks. They are notably good in the analytics department and make very intelligent signings in free agency.

Samsung Lions

The Lions are a perennial contender, one of the historical protagonists in Korean baseball history, and one of the most popular teams to this date. But they also have a reputation for their “always the bridesmaid, never the bride” performances, being the squad that has lost the most Korean Series with 10 since their 1982 debut, and that inevitably takes from the team’s legacy in spite of their eight trophies (second overall, behind the Tigers).

Of course, part of their wide popularity and commercial appeal comes from the team’s gigantic parent company, Samsung, one of the biggest in the world, and biggest in the country, but the Lions’ athletic achievements can also speak for themselves.

2019 results: 60-83 (8th place).

Batters to watch: If we were talking about 2019, we would mention Darin Ruf, who was the Lions’ offensive anchor, and even when his number declined last year, he still had a  .313/.404/.564 slash line. For 2020, the batter to watch is 27-year-old right fielder Koo Ja-wook, who had a respectable .711 OPS last season, even though he only played 122 games.

Pitchers to watch: The Lions have been struggling in the pitching department, being the third-worst team in terms of runs allowed per game last year (5.08). The best pitcher in their roster last year was Baek Jung-Hyun, one of the few veterans in such a young squad. He had a negative win-loss record (8-10), but his 4.24 ERA was the best in their starting rotation, and he looks to improve in 2020.

We should also watch former major leaguer Ben Lively, who joined the Lions in the middle of last season and had a very solid  9.2 K/9 rate even in such a small sample.

MLB talent: Former Atlanta Braves star Julio Franco was once a Lion, but as current players go, we can mention Lively, who was originally drafted by the Cleveland Indians, and played with the Reds, Phillies, Royals, and Diamondbacks. There is also newcomer Tyler Saladino, who played third base and shortstop for the Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers.

MLB squad comparison?: A proud team with past title but more modern history of runner-up finishes, heart-breaking playoff chokes and recent drama, makes them easily comparable to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but their very young current roster feels more like today’s Detroit Tigers.

SK Wyverns

This team debuted in the KBO in 2000 and has stood out as one of the most exciting Korean teams to watch ever since. They are constantly in the mix for titles, conquering the competition four times and finishing as runners-up another four. Their last trophy was won in 2018, and last year, they were co-leaders in the regular season.

Their parent company is another corporate titan, SK Group, whose Telecom branch remains the biggest wireless service provider in the nation.

2019 results: 88-55 (Tied-1st). Their 7-9 head-to-head record against the Doosan Bears in the regular season made the Bears take the first-seed and advance to the Korean Series directly. During the playoffs, they lost in the semifinal against the Kiwoom Heroes.

Batters to watch: Canadian Jamie Romak had a very good 2019, hitting .276/.374/.508 with 29 HR, but the team’s batting protagonist was the third baseman, Choi Jeong. Choi tied with Romak in dingers but led the Wyverns in both OBP (.399) and SLG (.519). But the best batting average for the team came from left fielder Ko Jong-Wook, with a strong .323.

Choi is also projected to lead the SK team in 2020. He’s one of the few players in the world to have an over .900 OPS in 10 consecutive seasons. For reference, only Albert Pujols has achieved this in MLB.

Pitchers to watch: In 2019, the star of the pitching staff was undoubtedly Angel Sanchez, but the team has lost him to the NPB’s Yomiuri Giants. They also lost lefty Kim Gwang-Hyun to MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals, where he’s expected to have a good season.

But they still have former MLB player, reliever Ha Jae-hoon, to lead the staff from the closer position. He’s had an interesting career, spending most of his professional trajectory as a position player, having stints with the Chicago Cubs and with Japan’s Yakult Swallows, but after a two-year absence, he returned to South Korea and destroyed everyone from the mound, leading the league in 2019 with 36 saves while posting a 9.8 K/9 and a 1.98 ERA.

MLB talent: Besides Romak, Sanchez, and Ha, we can mention 2020 signing Nick Kingham. He posted a career 9-9 win-loss record during his time in the big leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Toronto Blue Jays, with a not-good-at-all 6.08 ERA. He’s hoping to revive his career in the East Asian peninsula, and according to local and Western scouts, this year could be a great time to do just that.

MLB squad comparison?: Without a doubt, the St. Louis Cardinals. Just like the National League’s red birds, the Wyverns are one of those teams who always seem to appear in the final stages of the competition even against the odds, a contender that should never be underrated, working their dark magic and coming out in the clutch, winning key games, always dangerous.