The professional baseball team LG Twins has signed Australian-born Coen Wynne as a sudden injury replacement for Eliezer Hernandez.
LG officially announced on the 21st, "We have acquired right-handed pitcher Coen Wynne (Coen Wynne) for a total of $11,000 (approximately 15.6 million won) as a temporary substitute foreign player due to the injury of foreign pitcher Hernandez." LG has a connection as it brought Wynne in as an invited player to its U.S. spring camp last February to test him in preparation for the Asia quota to be implemented next year.
As Hernandez suddenly dropped out due to a thigh injury less than a month after the opening, LG decided to utilize the injury replacement player system. Hernandez was diagnosed with damage to the right quadriceps medial ligament and is expected to take about six weeks to recover. However, due to being a temporary replacement player, he will leave after playing for about a month. There are very few players available to contact for signing.
The mutual interests aligned perfectly. LG needed to bring in a replacement foreign player as soon as possible. Kim Ju-won, who started in the vacant spot left by Hernandez, was quickly pulled from the game after allowing two walks and two hit-by-pitches in the first inning against the SSG Landers at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 20th, giving up one run with one out and the bases loaded.
As he is not a full replacement player but a six-week temporary substitute, they cannot bring in a decent player from the U.S., Japan, or Taiwan. They need to look into the U.S. independent leagues, and Wynne, whom they tested together for two weeks during spring camp, was the best option they could choose at present.
Wynne was looking for another job after the Australian league season ended. Additionally, when the Asia quota system is introduced next year, Wynne is eager to play in the KBO League. Wynne, who joined LG's camp as an invited player last February, said, "I heard from a friend in Taiwan that the KBO is implementing the Asia quota system. I think it's a good system that could present a significant opportunity." If he shows good performance while playing for LG for about a month, he could secure a contract for next year.
The Asia quota system applies to players of all Asian nationalities (based on countries affiliated with the Asian Baseball Federation BFA) as well as Australian nationals. It is not possible to acquire dual-nationality players with non-Asian nationalities, and it is limited to one player who was affiliated with an Asian league in the previous year or that year.
The maximum expenditure that can be spent when acquiring new players is limited to a total of $200,000 (with a maximum of $20,000 per month) when combining salary, signing bonus, special contracts (based on actual payment), and transfer fees paid to the original club (excluding taxes). During re-signing, the player's salary can be increased by $100,000 each year.
Director General Chah Myung-seok noted, "It would be better to bring in a player we've seen once through testing rather than just bringing in a player sitting idle. It will be easier and faster for him to adapt to the team by staying with our players during camp. Naturally, it was also a consideration for the Asia quota next year when we brought him in."
Wynne recorded a record of 3 wins, 2 losses, and an earned run average of 2.35 in 15 games (2 starts) with the Sydney Blue Sox in the Australian professional baseball league during the 2024-2025 season. He pitched 38⅓ innings, allowing 6.8 hits, 1.6 walks, and 7.5 strikeouts per 9 innings. His fastball velocity ranges from 143 to 148 km and primarily features a slider and changeup.
An LG official stated, "He threw a maximum of 150 km during the Australian league season. There’s a natural tailing movement from a three-quarters arm angle. The slider is similar to a sweeping pitch. The changeup shows movement similar to a splitter."
Wynne pitched for 2 innings in the intra-squad game during the LG camp last February, recording all infield groundouts against Park Dong-won, Park Hae-min, Hong Chang-ki, Moon Sung-joo, and Austin Moon Bok-kyung. He had 2 innings with no hits and no earned runs. He allowed one on-base error with Shin Min-jae and allowed two stolen bases after that.
Wynne's Australian team, the Sydney Blue Sox, has Chris Oxspring, who played for LG from 2007-2008, as a pitching coach. Wynne said, "I learned about LG Twins through Coach Oxspring. I know that LG is a team located in Seoul, the capital of Korea, with a great ballpark and many wonderful fans who fill that ballpark."
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