The pace is good. Though lacking Major League experience, he is already throwing a fastball at 154 km/h and stirring the heart of the 'ho-buji.'

The NC Dinos, which hit the jackpot with foreign pitchers Eric Peddy (St. Louis Cardinals) and Kyle Hart (San Diego Padres), is drawing attention to which new players will join and make significant contributions, despite the annual outflow of foreign ace pitchers.

Last year, ace Hart, who was ranked first in strikeouts and challenged for a quadruple crown, expressed intentions to pursue the Major Leagues, resulting in a failed re-signing, and NC completely reshaped its foreign player lineup after parting ways with the alternative player Eric Yokishi. The players chosen by NC are right-handed Riley Thompson (29) and left-handed Logan Allen (28).

The club's foreign player department rated Logan's skills and career even higher. He has 45 Major League appearances (15 starts) and played 12 games last year. His career and skills are deemed worthy as a substitute for Hart. On the other hand, Riley has no Major League experience. He throws fastballs in the mid-150 km/h range but has shown some inconsistency in his control. Nonetheless, he has been evaluated as having untapped potential.

The player initially evaluated as the No. 1 starter by the club is Logan. However, evaluations from field staff, including manager Lee Ho-jun, differ. This is largely due to the excellent pace Riley is currently demonstrating. Meeting at the Tainan Asia-Pacific International Baseball Training Center, manager Lee Ho-jun stated, “We really haven’t decided on the opening day starter yet. I plan to make a decision after watching him pitch in the practice games in Taiwan.”

Regarding the two players, manager Lee Ho-jun remarked, “Logan is a slow starter and is not yet at his peak form. He is aligning his pace for the season, and we are currently in a waiting state.” In contrast, Riley is the opposite. He added, “Riley is currently averaging 152 km/h, with a peak of 154 km/h. I think his velocity might increase during the season,” emphasizing Riley's good pace.

Ultimately, the key question will be who displays better condition during the season. He noted, “Based on the current state, Riley would be the No. 1 starter, but if Logan raises his velocity to some extent, there could be changes,” adding that he would not hastily decide on the opening day starter.

On the 23rd, after entering the Tainan camp, Riley threw 33 pitches in his first bullpen session. He did not measure his velocity. Logan threw a bit fewer pitches, 23, using 70% effort and recorded a peak speed of 135 km/h. Given their different paces, immediate comparisons are challenging.

However, the evaluations from the field regarding Riley and the club's expectations for him are consistent. Everyone wanted a pitcher who could intimidate batters with fastballs. The club believes that Riley can maximize his performance when facing the KBO League's official balls, which are more pronounced than American balls.

Director General Lim Seon-nam explained when selecting Riley, “His stuff and data were solid, and our overseas scouting department observed him multiple times and provided quite favorable feedback. While we heard he walks a lot, based on the trajectory of the pitches Riley throws and his pitch location, there are cases where a switch from American balls to KBO balls can lead to improvement. That’s what we saw.”

At the same time, Director General Lim Seon-nam compared Riley with ace Drew Rucinski, who recorded 53 wins and 36 losses with an earned run average of 3.06 over 121 games and 732⅔ innings in four years. Director General Lim remarked, “Rucinski was the same before coming to Korea. His control was also high and seemed shaky, but after arriving in Korea, he showed excellent form. However, when he returned to America, he looked just the same.” He added, “While it’s hard to generalize, I believe Riley can receive a positive impact from the change in official balls, just like Rucinski.”

Encountering Riley at the Tainan Asia-Pacific International Baseball Training Center, he stated regarding the KBO League's official ball, “There’s not a huge difference, but if I had to say one thing, it’s that the grip on the KBO League's official ball feels much more comfortable. Every pitch type was easy to handle.”

Riley ultimately did not step onto the Major League stage and is experiencing his first overseas league. He mentioned, “Asia is completely new to me,” adding, “I can greatly expect a cultural experience in general, and especially considering that my wife and 18-month-old son are with me, I think it will be a good experience for him as well. I have high expectations for coming to Korea as a family.”

He is now focusing more on performing well with NC this year rather than on reattempting the Major Leagues. He stated, “NC has many players of a very high level and has a history of many good players passing through. I feel it's a great honor to be part of this club,” and emphasized, “I’m not thinking long-term; my goal is to do my best this year as a player for NC and help bring victories.”

This year, many foreign pitchers, including Riley, are already showcasing tremendous power in the KBO League. Mitch White and Drew Anderson of the SSG Landers are drawing expectations as a duo of fastball throwers. However, Riley is also proving to be a formidable presence. Can Riley demonstrate the full strength of a fireballer during the regular season?