It was an all-time high number of innings. However, it is a reality that we have to agonize over such an innings. We also need to look cool-headed. The Lotte Giants of the Korean pro baseball league have started agonizing over whether to play with foreign players throughout the 2025 season.

Lotte surely succeeded in farming foreign players this year. Charlie Barnes (29) and Aaron Wilkerson (35) had one-two punch at the top of the league, while Victor Reyes (30) set a new record for most hits in a single season. 스포츠토토

As a left-hander ace, Barnes played in 25 games with nine wins and six losses with an ERA of 3.35 (56 earned runs in 150 ⅔ innings), 171 strikeouts and 17 quality starts. Although he was absent for about two months this year due to an adductor injury, he showed off his solid performance as he is on the mound to the extent that he is allowed to leave the gap for two months. Although his ERA increased by allowing 10 runs in 12 innings in two games at the end of the season, it did not cover his overall performance in the season. 

As he knocked on the Major League stage last year, we cannot rule out the possibility that he will not break that dream again this year. As he respected the player's will and waited for it last year, this year's offseason is likely to flow in a similar pattern. 

Reyes played in 144 games this year and played as the league's top hitter with a batting average of 352 (202 hits in 574 times at bat), 15 homers, 111 RBIs, OPS .904 and a scoring average of 395. In particular, he made a page of history on the 1st by creating a new record for the most hits in a single KBO league season in the final regular season game. He adjusted well to Korean baseball by calmly showing off his influence inside and outside the team.

Barnes and Reyes renew their contracts and it can be seen that the club has to wait for a player to decide. Wilkerson's situation is slightly different, however. Wilkerson recorded 12 wins and eight losses with an earned run average of 3.84 (196 ⅔ innings, 84 earned runs), 167 strikeouts and 18 quality starts in 32 games this season. 

He was the starting pitcher of the league and the highest number of innings this year. He was one of the shutout pitchers with only four players this year. Basically, he was a calculated pitcher who could take responsibility for more than five innings. Of the 45 games he played since joining as a substitute last year, only one pitched less than five innings. Before he was substituted for five runs in four ⅓ innings against Sajik Kiwoom on Aug. 17, he pitched in more than five innings in 37 consecutive games. Based on his performance in innings, he ranked second in the league with 5.32 in contribution to victory (WAR) compared to substitute players for Sports Toi. 

Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung also said, "Foreign pitchers who throw like Wilkerson are really good." However, Lotte is agonizing over such a pitcher. For now, it has thrown nearly 200 innings. The fatigue level of next season cannot be overlooked. More than anything, he will turn 36 next year. He was the second oldest among foreign players who played this year, following Roenis Elias (36) of the SSG. We have to worry about his aging curve. 

Wilkerson is considered to have good pitching compared to his speed. In particular, the power of the cutter, which comes and bends in a similar trajectory to the four core, is great. In addition, the completion of sliders, changeups, and curves is also high. 

Even if he has good basic ball power, however, if his ball speed drops, his breaking power will inevitably decrease. As he throws strikes aggressively like "fighters," he only allowed 1.24 walks per nine innings. Still, if his basic ball power is not supported, he will easily fall prey to batters. 

Until April, when he threw due to back pain, Wilkerson was sluggish in seven games, with one win and three losses and an earned run average of 5.12 (22 earned runs in 38 ⅔ innings). Wilkerson also failed to endure the heat wave this summer. He only had two wins and three losses with an earned run average of 5.04 (31 earned runs in 55 ⅓ innings) in 10 games between July and August. 

"We had difficulty adapting to the new rules such as robot referee and pitch clock. It is so nice to be able to play 'real baseball' in Korea," Wilkerson said, but the ABS system was introduced this year, and the pitch clock will be implemented next year in earnest. He has adapted relatively quickly to the ABS system. He tried to adapt to the new system by using pitchcom in the latter half of the season. However, it is uncertain how he will perform in the era of pitch clock. 

"It would be nice if there is one card that can control more than 80 percent of games," said manager Kim Tae-hyung, who needs a clear ace pitcher. However, if players fail to adapt themselves, it will become a failure. Wilkerson is a proven ace, but he cannot be evaluated as a top-rated ace. Barnes has the advantage of being a left-handed pitcher, and his strikeout ability has taken an leap forward this year. Now he is going through the heyday of his career. 

Unless there is a clear card to replace Wilkerson, Lotte's concerns about Korea are expected to continue until the deadline for submitting the pending roster on November 25.