Cubs reportedly bid on Korean left-hander Ryu

By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com | 11/09/12 12:28 PM ET
Hyun-Jin Ryu, 25, struck out 210 batters over 182 2/3 innings this past season. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)

CHICAGO --

The Cubs have reportedly extended their search to South Korea for a starting pitcher.

The Cubs are believed to be one of several teams to submit a qualifying bid on Thursday for left-handed pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu, 25. The Rangers, Indians, Phillies, and Angels also reportedly are interested in Ryu.

Ryu's team, the Hanwha Eagles, have four business days to determine if it will accept the highest of the sealed bids. The team the Eagles pick would then have 30 days to negotiate a contract with Ryu's agent, Scott Boras.

Ryu made his professional debut in 2006 and went 18-6 with a 2.23 ERA and 205 strikeouts in 201 2/3 innings that season, winning both Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year honors in Korea. He helped the South Korean national team win gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, beating Cuba in the championship game.

This past season, the left-hander was 9-9 with a 2.66 ERA, 1.09 WHIP in 27 starts, striking out 210 over 182 2/3 innings.

The Cubs are in the market for at least two starting pitchers to join Jeff Samardzija, Matt Garza and Travis Wood.

We could use a quality left handed pitcher if I say so myself.

The Dodgers outbid everyone.

Rob Bryson pitched an inning in relief for Caguas. 0 runs, 0 hits, 3 walks, and 2 strikeout.

Roberto Perez was 1-5 for Mayaguez. 1 double, 2 rbis, and a strikeout.

Matt Langwell pitched a perfect 9th inning in relief for Carolina. He had a strikeout.

Juan Diaz was 0-3 for Estrellas. He struckout one time.

Juan Ramirez was 1-4 for the Toros. He kept his hitting streak alive in his last at bat. The streak stands at seven straight. Ramires scored twice, had an rbi, a strikeout, and a walk.

Tim Fedroff was 0-3 for the Aguilas. Fedroff walked once and struckout once.

No. 1 pick Correa back at work in Puerto Rico

By Brian McTaggart / MLB.com | 11/09/12 1:10 PM ET
Carlos Correa is an outstanding defensive shortstop and could be an above-average hitter with power

HOUSTON --

Coming off a whirlwind summer in which he was the top pick in the First-Year Player Draft, graduated from high school and made his professional baseball debut, Carlos Correa is back to work for the Astros.

Correa, who became the first Puerto Rican-born player to be drafted No. 1 overall in June, began playing Thursday for Carolina Gigantes of the Puerto Rican Winter League. Correa hadn't played since wrapping the season at Rookie League Greeneville at the end of September.

"I will start playing the first day and it all depends on how I develop and my body reacts," Correa said. "I hope I can play as much as I can."

Correa, 18, got off to a very slow start when he made his professional debut this year, but rallied to hit .232 with two homers, five stolen bases and nine RBIs in 39 games for the Gulf Coast League Astros. He finished the year with Greeneville of the Appalachian League and hit .371 in 11 games.

"My first season, for me, was great," he said. "There were a lot of experiences, a lot of adjustments I had to make, but it was still great. I started slow but ended up really well, and I want to keep it going."

Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow was able to sign Correa only three days after he was drafted. He signed for $4.2 million, which was substantially less than the $7.2 million signing bonus prescribed by Major League Baseball.

"I'm excited for him," Luhnow said of Correa's venture into winter ball. "I'm hoping to get over there and spend a few days watching."

The biggest challenge last season for Correa, MLB.com's No. 2 Astros prospect, was playing every day, something he didn't do growing up in Puerto Rico.

"If you get tired and stuff, you have to keep doing your best and giving your best all the time," he said.

It's yet to be determined where Correa will begin next season, but Luhnow hinted it wouldn't be at one of the team's full-season clubs. Correa could certainly wind up there by the end of the year, but he is perhaps headed for Tri-City of the New York-Penn League in 2013.

"I think one of the lessons we learned last year was where we put the prospects matters," Luhnow said. "Sometimes they aren't at the level they want to be at, but they're at the level that's right for their development at that time."

There was no better example, Luhnow said, than former first-round pick Delino DeShields Jr. repeating last season at Class A Lexington and putting up the kind of numbers that made him the team's Minor League Player of the Year.

DeShields, the No. 5 prospect in the Astros system, stole 101 bases in 135 games between Lexington and Class A Advanced Lancaster, an Astros Minor League record. He was the first player in the modern era to steal over 100 bases and hit 10 homers in a Minor League season.

Between Lexington and Lancaster, DeShields hit .287 with 12 homers and a .389 on-base percentage.

Correa hinted he could begin the year at Quad Cities -- which is replacing Lexington next year -- but Luhnow said that might be too aggressive.

"We'll put him at the level where he's going to have the best chance to learn the game the right way," he said. "We're not going to hold him back, but he might not be ready for a full season right out of Spring Training."

The Astros didn't decide on Correa until the final hour before the Draft, Luhnow said, having been swayed by the shortstop's May 27 workout at the club's complex in Kissimmee, Fla., during extended spring camp. Numerous Astros scouts had laid eyes on Correa, but Luhnow got to see him up close and got to know his parents.

Correa was the first shortstop taken No. 1 overall since 2008 (Tim Beckham, Rays), and is just the fourth shortstop taken first overall since 1994. Other notable players who were selected as shortstops with the first overall pick were Shawon Dunston by the Cubs (1982), B.J. Surhoff by the Brewers ('85), Chipper Jones by the Braves ('90), Alex Rodriguez by the Mariners ('93) and Justin Upton by the D-backs (2005).

Barnes nearly hits for cycle in Leones' rout

Astros outfielder homers, drives in four against slumping Cardenales

11/10/12 1:44 AM ET
Barnes' first Major League homer

Venezuelan Winter League

Caracas 13, Lara 4

Astros outfielder Brandon Barnes homered, drove in four runs and fell a double shy of the cycle as the Leones handed the Cardenales their fourth straight loss. Rays farmhand Henry Wrigley chipped in two RBIs and scored three times for Caracas, while Jose Lopez was 2-for-4 and drove in two runs for Lara.

La Guaira 6, Zulia 3

Alex Cabrera collected three hits, including a grand slam, to power the Tiburones past the faltering Aguilas. Former Rays Minor Leaguer Cesar Suarez went 4-for-4 with an RBI and scored twice for La Guaira, while Ernesto Mejia slugged a solo homer for Zulia, which has dropped four in a row.

Aragua 5, Caribes 1

Ramon Castro went 3-for-3 with a solo homer and Astros farmhand Jose Martinez hit a two-run shot as the last-place Tigres won their third straight. Former Major Leaguer Seth Atherton yielded a run on five hits over six innings to get the win, while Minor League veteran Luis Nuñez provided the Caribes' offense with a seventh-inning homer.

Magallanes 5, Margarita 4

Carlos Maldonado delivered a walk-off single in the ninth inning, propelling the Navegantes past the Bravos and into sole possession of first place. Chris Nowak reached base three times and drove in two runs for Magallanes, which got two hits and two runs scored from Astros infielder Jose Altuve. Phillies prospect Edgar Duran had two hits and drove in three runs for Margarita.

Dominican Winter League

Toros 10, Estrellas 4

Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon delivered a two-run double and scored twice, leading the Toros past the Estrellas. Jose Constanza (Braves) singled, walked three times, stole a base and scored twice for Este, while Twins top prospect Miguel Sano drilled a two-run homer in a losing effort.

Licey 3, Escogido 2

Rangers top prospect Jurickson Profar capped a three-hit night by singling in the tying run in the eighth inning as the last-place Tigres rallied past the Leones. Fellow Texas farmhand Engel Beltre went 2-for-3 with an RBI for Licey, while Giants Minor Leaguer Roger Kieschnick had two hits, an RBI and a run scored for Escogido.

Aguilas 2, Gigantes 1

Mets prospect Francisco Peña went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning as the first-place Aguilas edged the Gigantes. Efren Navarro (Angels) had the other RBI for Cibaeñas, which got five innings of hitless relief from former Tigers farmhand Angel Castro. Robinzon Diaz singled home the lone run for Cibao.

Puerto Rican Winter League

Mayaguez 11, Manati 2

Twins No. 4 prospect Eddie Rosario and Yankees farmhand Luke Murton both had three hits and two RBIs as the Indios won their second straight game to start the season. Kennys Vargas (Twins) sparked Mayaguez's six-run first inning with a three-run homer, while D-backs prospect Yazy Arbelo accounted for two of the Atenienses' eight hits.

Caguas 7, Ponce 1

Former Major Leaguer Andy Gonzalez went 3-for-3 with a homer, two doubles and four RBIs as the Criollos remained unbeaten. Rey Navarro (Royals) chipped in two hits, an RBI and a run scored, while Kelvin Villa struck out eight over five dominant innings for Caguas. Rangers No. 5 prospect Jorge Alfaro was 2-for-4 and drove in the Leones' lone run.

Carolina 6, Santurce 1

White Sox left-hander Hector Santiago struck out six over six solid innings, helping the Gigantes post their first win of the season. Former Red Sox farmhand Jorge Jimenez went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and a run scored for Carolina, while big league veteran Felipe Lopez drove in the Cangrejeros' only run.

Mexican Pacific League

Obregon 2, Navojoa 1, 10 innings

Alfredo Amezaga hit a walk-off single in the 10th inning to snap the Yaquis' four-game losing streak. Fellow former Major Leaguer Bobby Cramer pitched six solid frames for Obregon, while Kraig Binick had two hits and drove in the Mayos' lone run.

Guasave 13, Los Mochis 6

Twins prospect Chris Colabello hit a pair of solo shots to extend his home run streak to five games and power the Algodoñeros to their fourth consecutive win. Pinch-hitter Freddy Sandoval highlighted a four-run seventh inning with a bases-loaded triple for Guasave, while ex-Major League Alexis Gomez homered twice in a losing cause.

Mexicali 5, Culiacan 0

Red Sox prospect Marco Duarte allowed four hits and struck out six over six innings as the Aguilas blanked the Tomateros to end a four-game slide. Former Angels farmhand Ricky Alvarez slugged a solo homer, singled and scored twice for Mexicali, while Yankees prospect Ronnier Mustelier and Ramiro Peña had two hits apiece for Culiacan.

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Australian Baseball League

•Andrew Campbell (LF, Brisbane Bandits): 0-for-4, 3 K. Well, there are probably better ways for the left-handed hitting Campbell to begin his season in the ABL. Nonetheless, at least he is playing and grabbing valuable experience. In 33 games between Arizona and Single-A Mahoning Valley, Campbell posted a .172/.248/.224 this past season.

Venezuelan Winter League

•Gregorio Petit (SS, Leones del Caracas): 1-for-2, 1 R, 1 2B. Petit has now put together his own nice little three-game hit streak, and he has gone 8-for-38 in 13 games in the VWL.

Dominican Winter League

•Juan Diaz (SS, Estrellas de Oriente): 0-for-3, 1 K. Diaz entered Friday’s contest on a hot streak as he had five hits in his last 11 at-bats, but unfortunately he settled for an 0-fer. Overall, the switch-hitting Diaz has gone 9-39 in 15 games.

•Jose Ramirez (2B, Toros del Este): 1-for-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K. Ramirez refuses to slow down. The switch-hitter’s hit streak improved to eight games and he has now gone 12-28 with nine runs scored in nine games in the DWL. His progress has been very exciting to watch, and there are no signs that it will be slowing down anytime soon.

•Tim Fedroff (LF, Aguilas Cibaenas): 0-for-3, 1 BB, 1 K. In 18 games, Fedroff has now gone 17-for-67. By no means are the numbers bad, but considering the regular season that he had, they are somewhat surprising. Though after playing for such an extended period of time, it is only probably natural to expect a slight decrease in performance.

Puerto Rican Winter League

•Matt Langwell (RP, Gigantes de Carolina): 1 IP, 1 K. Langwell made his debut in the PWL on Friday, and it’s hard to argue with the results. He put together a perfect inning of relief and recorded outs via the strikeout, groundout and flyout.

•Rob Bryson (RP, Criollos de Caguas): 1 IP, 3 BB, 2 K. Bryson really walked the tightrope in his outing, but he managed to escape unscathed. Overall, he faced six total batters and amazingly did not allow a runner to score.

By Steve Orbanek

Hanwha Eagles accept MLB posting bid for pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin
The Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said Saturday they've accepted the highest of sealed bids by a Major League Baseball (MLB) club for their star pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin, clearing the path for the left-hander to reach the big leagues in 2013.

The Eagles said the bid was worth about US$25.7 million. It is the highest amount of bid ever for a South Korean player attempting to reach the majors.

The MLB club that has submitted the bid has not yet been disclosed. Reports earlier said the Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Texas Rangers were among the interested suitors of the 25-year-old left-hander.

The Eagles posted Ryu earlier this month and the four-day bidding period commenced after the KBO notified MLB of the pitcher's availability. The deadline for submission of bids fell at 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Thursday.

KBO officials said they informed the Eagles of the highest bid early Saturday. The Eagles had four business days to decide whether to accept the bid or not but wasted little time with their move.

Ryu became eligible for posting this fall by completing his seventh KBO season. As the Eagles staggered to a last-place finish in the eight-team KBO, Ryu repeatedly said he wanted to compete in the majors next year.

Ryu needed consent from the Eagles to be posted, and the club, after at first appearing reluctant to let him go, agreed to grant the player's wish in late October.

"I'd like to thank the Eagles and my manager Kim Eung-yong for their faith and support," Ryu said through the Eagles. "I will make sure to prepare as hard as I can so that I can be an inspiration to young ball players."

With the Eagles' acceptance of the bid, the MLB team now has the exclusive rights to negotiate with Ryu for 30 days.

If Ryu signs a major league contract, he'd become the first South Korean to move directly from the KBO to the majors.

If the given MLB club and Ryu fail to reach a contract, however, Ryu will also be barred from getting posted until Nov. 1, 2013.

The Eagles had earlier said they would accept a bid only if it is deemed appropriate for a pitcher of Ryu's caliber, and Ryu himself has said he would not leave for the majors unless the bid is good enough.

Ryu, 25, joined the KBO in 2006 as a second overall draft pick out of high school and made an immediate impact, becoming the first player to win both the MVP and the Rookie of the Year honors in the same season. He went 18-6 with a 2.23 earned run average (ERA) in his first year, with a KBO rookie record 204 strikeouts.

He has since been one of the KBO's most dominant starters. He averaged almost 15 wins a season from 2006 to 2010 but was limited to nine wins this year on the league's worst team, despite posting a 2.66 ERA. He has led the KBO in strikeouts in five different seasons.

The thick-bodied pitcher, listed at 187 centimeters and 98 kilograms, has averaged more than 181 innings per season and has pitched more than 200 innings in two different seasons.

He can reach up to 150 kilometers (93 miles per hour) with his fastball, and can also throw a changeup and slider as his out pitches.

Four different KBO players have been posted in the past, though only one of the bids was accepted.

Left-hander Lee Sang-hoon of the LG Twins commanded US$600,000 in the bidding in 1998 and the Twins rejected the offer. Lee later went to Japan and joined the majors as a free agent.

Pitchers Jin Pil-jung, formerly of the Doosan Bears, and Lim Chang-yong, ex-reliever for the Samsung Lions, drew $25,000 and $650,000, respectively, in December 2002, and their KBO clubs both turned down the bids.

In 2009, relief pitcher Choi Hyang-nam signed with the St.

Louis Cardinals, as his Lotte Giants accepted a bid of $101, but he only spent time in the minors before returning to the KBO. (Yonhap News)

2012/11/10 15:26 KST

Yomiuri blanks Lotte to reach final of Asia Series baseball

By Yoo Jee-ho

BUSAN, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) --

Japanese baseball champions Yomiuri Giants blanked South Korea's Lotte Giants 5-0 on Saturday to reach the final of the Asia Series tournament.

At Sajik Stadium in this southeastern city, starter Hirokazu Sawamura threw seven scoreless innings and struck out six for the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) champs in the Group B contest. Yomiuri will face the Lamigo Monkeys of Taiwan in the final at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Sun, Nov 11, 2012

Taiwan down Cubans 2-1 in Thunder Series

By Paul Huang / Contributing reporter
Kao Kuo-hui of Taiwan hits a surprise short ball during the opening match of the Thunder Series against Cuba at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium yesterday.

Photo: Liao Yao-hui

Taiwan took a quick 2-0 lead in the second inning and held off several scoring threats by Cuba with a stellar defense to earn a 2-1 win in the opener of the Thunder Series at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium last night.

With the tying run on second and the go-ahead run on first in the top of the ninth, centerfielder Kao Kuo-hui ran down a fly ball to the right-center gap to take away a potential extra-base hit for the second out of the inning. He then fired the ball back to second to beat the runner for the game-ending double play that preserved the victory.

Kao’s double play was not the only defensive highlight for the home side. The Taiwanese defense came up huge again with another double play to end the top of the eighth when Kao Chih-kang gunned down the runner from second at third on a base stealing attempt after reliever Cheng Kai-wen struck out the batter at the plate to end the Cuban scoring threat.

“It was a big win for us because it gave us a lot of confidence against the top team in the world,” Taiwan defensive leader Chen Yong-chi said after the game.

He also drove in the first of Taiwan’s two runs on the night on an RBI single off Cuban starter Yadier Pedroso in the top of the second.

Trailing by a pair, Cuba managed to get one of the runs back in the top of the fourth when Alfredo Despaigne led off the inning with a double off Taiwanese reliever Lin Yen-fong and scored two batters later on a groundout to third by Ariel Pestano that made it 2-1.

After that the pitchers dominating the hitters the rest of the way.

Next up for the visitors are the Chinese Professional Baseball Team all-stars at the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium in Game 2 of the three-game series.

Asia Series

By Paul Huang

Contributing reporter

Japan’s Yomiuri Giants maintained their winning form as they blanked South Korea’s Lotte Giants 5-0 on the third day of this year’s Asia Series at the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, South Korea yesterday. The victory set up a title showdown with Taiwan’s Lamigo Monkeys today.

Starter Hirokazu Sawamura scattered four hits over seven scoreless innings of play to give his offense plenty of chances to score, making the eventual shutout win a foregone conclusion.

Samsung Lions 9, China All-Stars 0

South Korea’s Samsung Lions vented their frustration after losing to the Monkeys the night before and thus missing the chance to reach the title game by trouncing the Chinese Baseball League All-Stars 9-0 last night to earn a third-place finish this year.

WoW! I guess there is more competitive balance around the world than I thought. I'm picking the Cubans to win the WBC in 2013.