The Fubon Guardians of Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) have signed American pitcher Tyler Eppler, who has experience in playing in South Korea and Japan, to play for them in 2023, the club said Friday.
The 30-year-old right-hander played the 2022 season with the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization and the 2019 season with the Orix Buffaloes in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league, the Guardians said in a statement.
Eppler appeared in 33 games for the Heroes, including 25 starts, and pitched 140.1 innings in 2022. He had a 6-8 record with an ERA of 4.30, the statement said.
The Korea JoongAng Daily reported that he played on a one-year, US$400,000 contract for the Heroes.
Eppler spent the earlier years of his career playing in the U.S. minor leagues, mostly in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.
After playing in Japan, Eppler was with the Washington Nationals’ Triple A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings, in 2021, and had a 2-9 record and 8.00 ERA in 19 appearances.
The Texas native is expected to arrive in Taiwan after the Lunar New Year holiday in late January, and join the Guardians for spring training, the club said.
The New Taipei-based Guardians finished last in the five-team league last season with a 46-4-70 record.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel