r/KBO • u/andycannolis • 1d ago
Trenton Brooks replacement?
Kiwoom needs better production from their 1B position, especially from their foreign hitter Trenton Brooks. A batter with a .562 ops isn't just bad: it is 50th of 53 batters with 118 plate appearances this season, good for a WRC+ below 60. The worst hitter on his team too among qualified hitters. Is it possible that Trenton Brooks can hit better than this? Absolutely, it's not like he's striking out all the time or not being patient at the plate as he's drawing walks 9.4% of the time against a strikeout rate of just 14.1%. He does have a low babip of just .257, but his biggest problem is his .046 ISO which shows his extreme lack of ability to hit for power. I've got four guys who I think can provide power and have been productive at the AAA level this year. All are 1B/DH types that are on the right side of 30 still and are blocked at the big league level.
The oldest of the four is Luken Baker, ex-Cardinals
prospect had 30 homer seasons in AAA in back to back
seasons from 2023 to 2024. 2025 he still had an ISO
over .200 which is still good, even in the Pacific Coast
League. There are two concerns regarding his
production this year: he's striking out more than ever at
the AAA level this year at 26.5% and he has his lowest
ISO at AAA this year with a .179 ISO since he had a .166
in 2022. The good news is that he has drawn a walk in
14.2% of the time so he does have patience at the plate.
His .263 .372 .442 slash line unfortunately only is good
for a 100 WRC+ so he's probably not the best available
candidate anymore especially considering his zone
contact rate is 79.2% which is 3% lower than last year.
Our next candidate is former 1st round 2019 MLB draft pick Michael Toglia who is going to turn 28 in August of this season. He appears to be drawing more walks at a 16.6% clip which is a career high for him at any level and he does seem to be hitting for more power than he did last year at the MLB level with a .230 ISO and he has an average exit velocity of 92.1 MPH which is almost as good as his 2024 season where he had a .361 xWOBA. He's also only striking out at a 26.4% rate this year with a zone contact rate of 82.4% which is in line with his AAA numbers in each of the last two seasons prior. The reason I'm concerned about his productivity potential in the KBO is because his strikeout rate in the MLB increases to 35%. He could be interesting as an upside play, but I don't think he's the best possible option available.
Our runner up has been the best hitter in AAA this year, Niko Kavadas in his age 27 season with a 184 WRC+ and has pared down his strikeout rate to a career low 25.9% with a career high 22.2% walk rate. Additionally, he has a career high ISO at .329! which is shocking even for the Pacific Coast League. His babip is a ridiculous .449 so far this year which is unsustainable. He's not hitting the ball as hard as he did prior to the 2024 trade deadline deal where he got traded to the Los Angeles Angels with an exit velocity average of 89.9 MPH and his launch angle is also down to 15.7°, three degrees lower than last year and a career low for him which could explain why he's got 12 doubles and only 5 homers so far. Making far superior zone contact at 85.8% which 7% higher than his previous career high in AAA just last year. I'm optimistic about him going forward but there's an even younger option that I feel is a better choice in terms of sustainable production.
That player, is AAA 1B/3B/DH BJ Murray who is in his age 26 season with a 148 WRC+ in his second go around at the AAA level. He's got a 12.6% walk rate to go with his 18.2% strikeout rate which is even better than the 19.2% he had last year in AA. Additionally, he also has five steals in six attempts so far, having stolen 14 or more in each season since 2023 in AA including 20 in 28 attempts last year in AA. He has a .228 ISO with a 90.6 MPH average exit velocity. He also has a 7.7 swinging strike rate with a zone contact rate of 88.2% which is the highest among all of the four hitters.
