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Patrick Wisdom has hit his share of home runs.
A first-round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2012 draft, Wisdom hit 88 homers in 1,311 at bats during an MLB career that spanned parts of seven seasons. In 2021, while still retaining his rookie status, he hit 28 home runs as a member of the Chicago Cubs, breaking the franchise record for most home runs by a rookie set by Kris Bryant in 2015, and he placed fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.
So it should come as little surprise that Wisdom’s home run-hitting prowess travels internationally.
After five seasons with the Cubs, the 33-year-old from Murrieta, CA, signed a contract in December to play the 2025 season with the Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Through May 11, Wisdom had posted a slash line of .240/.361/.537 and an OPS of .898, with nine home runs and 26 RBIs. He was tied for fourth in the KBO in home runs and tied for ninth in RBIs.
Wisdom wasted no time introducing himself to the Korean baseball fans. In his second game on March 25, Wisdom went 2-for-5 with his first home run of the season and three RBIs.
A few days later, from March 28 to April 2, Wisdom, who played first base and batted in the No. 2 spot for the Tigers, hit a home run in four consecutive games. On April 13, Wisdom would enjoy his best game offensively so far, going 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs and three RBIs.
Wisdom made his MLB debut as a Cardinal on August 12 of the 2018 season. He played 32 games that year with St. Louis, then was traded after the season to the Texas Rangers.
Wisdom played in just two MLB games for the Rangers, then became a free agent after the 2019 season. He signed a one-year contract with Seattle for the 2020 season but would be designated for assignment in August. Later that same month, he signed the first of two minor league deals with the Cubs, the second of which included a non–roster invitation to spring training with the Cubs for the 2021 season.
That would start a four-year run in Chicago that saw Wisdom become a fan favorite. After his rookie breakout season, Wisdom hit 25 home runs for the Cubs in 2022, then added 23 more in 2023.
But in 2024, Wisdom would make just 75 appearances for Chicago, slashing .171/.237/.392 with eight home runs, 23 RBI, and five stolen bases. He would be non-tendered in November, making him a free agent.
Wisdom is not the only former Cardinal finding success in the KBO. Outfielder Austin Dean, who played three games with St. Louis in 2020 and 22 more games in 2021, is in his third season with the LG Twins after being re-signed in late November to a one-year, $1.7 million contract.
Dean hit a total of 11 home runs in an MLB career that spanned 126 games over five seasons with Miami, St. Louis and San Francisco, but he has found his power stroke in Korea. In 2023, the 31-year-old slashed .313/.376/.517 with 23 home runs and 95 RBIs, but he improved his numbers across the board last season, posting a slash line of .319/.384/.573 with 32 homers and a franchise-record 132 RBIs.
Through May 11 of this season, Dean is tied for second in the KBO with 10 home runs and tied for third with 30 RBIs.
Bader Named AL Defensive Player of the Month
Harrison Bader appears to be comfortable in his new home.
Primarily a center fielder for most of his career, including 2021, when he won a Gold Glove with the St. Louis Cardinals, Bader signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins in February realizing that he would be asked to play in a different spot. Byron Buxton has patrolled center field for the majority of his 10-plus seasons with the Twins, so Bader knew he would be making the change, and he was excited about it.
“It was something I was really looking forward to diving into,” Bader said. “It’s like having a new girlfriend. Sometimes you forget how nice it is to see and experience something new.”
The Twins certainly must be excited about what Bader has brought to the team. He has posted a .298/.387/.462 slash line, but his real impact has been with a glove on his hand, as Bader was named the Sports Info Solutions (SIS) American League Defensive Player of the Month for March/April.
“He’s crushing it out there,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Even if you have a little bit of experience, even if you’re a really good instinctual outfielder, to move to a different spot on the field and play it that well, it is impressive. I don’t think he’s surprised himself. I think he kind of demands it of himself as a defender, especially. But this is why we wanted him.”
Through May 5, Bader led all MLB position players in Total Runs Saved, according to SIS, and he also was atop the list with a combined 7 Defensive Runs Saved, according to FanGraphs.
“He got a Gold Glove for a reason,” Buxton said. “I just enjoy watching him be himself. He didn’t have to come over and try to change. He takes chances. We communicate quite well and back each other up. He understands, and so do I, to take that chance for the ball because you know we’re going to have that backup. It’s fun to have another guy over there that goes after the ball, plays aggressive and plays hard.”
Wacha Reaches Impressive Career Milestone
Michael Wacha had his best start of the 2025 season on May 7, and in the process, he reached a pretty impressive career milestone.
Facing the White Sox, Wacha threw seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out five as the Royals won 2-1. Wacha improved to 2-4 with a 2.98 ERA, but the number that amazed his teammates most after the game was 1,500, which is how many innings Wacha has now pitched in his 12-plus season career.
“That number is mind-blowing to me,” said Royals reliever Lucas Erceg. “The guy has been there, done that, he’s played the game long enough to show us the ropes of how we want to go about our business and be around the game for so long. That’s what makes the big leagues so cool.”
The 33-year-old Wacha, a first-round-draft pick by the Cardinals in 2012, is only the 20th active pitcher to reach that mark.