The first requirement for success as a foreign athlete is cultural adaptation. It doesn’t matter how good you are, if you can’t adapt to the culture, you’ll be out of the game early. There have been many cases of big-name players who made a name for themselves in the big leagues packing their bags after a dismal performance in Korea.
Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man emphasized the importance of Ruben Cardenas (outfielder), who joined the team as a replacement for foreign hitter David McKinnon, saying, “It’s important for him to adapt to the domestic stage quickly.”
Samsung’s foreign pitcher Connor Seabold has been a great help for Cardenas. “Connor will help Cardenas adapt a lot,” the club official said, citing the examples of Jose Pirela (outfielder) and Albert Suarez (pitcher), who played for Samsung in 2022 and 2023.
Pirela and Suarez, both from Venezuela, have been close friends since childhood. Pirela joined Samsung in 2021, and the following year, he helped Suarez settle in as a new member of the Samsung family. Connor and Cardenas played together at California State University (CSU) Fullerton.
More than just teammates, they’re best friends.
“I’m very close with Cardenas,” Connor says. We played baseball together for two years in college and were roommates for one of those years. We stayed in touch after he went pro, and I attended his wedding. We’re also close with our wives. We played on the same college softball team. We have a lot of connections,” he said.
“It’s great to be with Connor,” Cardenas said. It’s great to be reunited with my best friend,” said Cardenas. “I told him a little bit about Korean professional baseball and we’ll talk more about it later,” Connor said.
Cardenas, who will be playing in Asia for the first time, 카지노사이트 추천 said, “It’s nice to have a new challenge. It’s important to adapt well, and I think I’m good at adapting,” he said. “He’s got a great personality and he’s a fun guy to play baseball with,” Connor said. I think the fans are going to like him.”
“My advice to Cardenas is to enjoy his time in Korea and embrace the different culture and game of Korean professional baseball,” Connor added.
“I’m looking forward to playing on the same team with Cardenas again,” said Connor, who will be wearing the same uniform as Cardenas. I think we’re going to have a good synergy, and I think we’re going to have a good synergy with the other guys as well.”
Cardenas, meanwhile, is a 6-foot-2, 185-pound right-handed hitting outfielder from the United States.
He has no big league experience. In 554 career minor league games, Cardenas batted .2043/.555 with 99 home runs, 362 RBIs and 333 runs scored.
In 75 games with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs of the Philadelphia Phillies this season, he batted .289 (80-for-289) with 20 home runs, 56 RBI, 52 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. Cardenas ranks second in home runs and sixth in RBIs in the pitcher-heavy Triple-A International League. He is a prolific long ball producer, hitting 20 or more home runs in the minors every year.
Cardenas will get his feet wet in a two-game series against the Lotte Giants in the Futures Summer League at Sajik Stadium on July 17 and 18, before making his Korean debut against Lotte at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on July 19.