Report: Rojas drawing MLB interest after MVP season in Korea
Mel Rojas Jr. is drawing interest from three MLB teams after putting together an MVP season for the KT Wiz in the Korean Baseball Organization, reports Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors.
Rojas, a former third-round selection of the Pittsburgh Pirates, never appeared above Triple-A before signing overseas in 2017.
The 30-year-old has been outstanding in four campaigns for the Wiz and could follow a similar career path to Eric Thames, who returned to MLB in 2017 after rejuvenating his career in Korea.
Career KBO stats
| PLAYER | PA | H | HR | RBI | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mel Rojas Jr. | 2218 | 633 | 132 | 409 | .982 |
| Eric Thames | 1638 | 472 | 124 | 382 | 1.172 |
Rojas, who's related to New York Mets manager Luis Rojas and has family ties to Felipe and Moises Alou, was named the KBO's MVP on Monday after hitting .349/.417/.680 with 47 home runs, 39 doubles, and 135 RBIs this past season.
Thames (2015) and pitcher Josh Lindblom (2019) are previous recipients of the award who went on to sign MLB contracts in recent years.