“Higher rated than (Eric) Peddie and (Kyle) Hart.”
The head coach has high hopes. Of course, we won’t know for sure until the start of the season, but I can’t help but wonder what the 2026 season will look like. This is the story of Curtis Taylor (NC Dinos).
Taylor, who is 198 centimeters tall and weighs 106 kilograms, was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks 119 times in 4 rounds in the 2016 draft. He is a right-handed pitcher. Although I didn’t step on the stage of Major League Baseball (MLB), my experience was very gorgeous. He has played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins and other teams, and is active in the second-tier professional leagues in the United States.
Taylor, who then played in the Mexican League, played for the St. Louis Cardinals’ minor league team last year. In 31 Triple A games (137.1 innings), he achieved 10 wins, 4 losses, 1 save, and an earned run average of 3.21. The total record of the second-tier Major League Baseball team in the United States is 213 games played (44 starts), 26 wins and 25 losses, and an average earned run average of 3.48.
Tyler has now become a member of the dinosaur army. Cooperate with the NC team for a total of US$900,000 (contract fee of US$280,000, annual salary of US$420,000, and options of US$200,000).
Taylor will throw a fastball up to 154 kilometers (average 151~152 kilometers) and a sweeper, cutter, sinker, and changeup. Based on his powerful fastball, he competes with hitters, and his stable ball control ability is evaluated as a strength.
When announcing his introduction, NC team leader Lin Shannan said, “Taylor is a pitcher who can throw about 150 kilometers of powerful fastballs and various change balls based on excellent physical conditions. He uses 5 types of pitches at the same time and has excellent ball control skills. He can not only rely on the batter and power to decide the victory, but also has the ability to induce casual hits. I look forward to him playing a huge role on the NC pitching pedal in the 2026 season.”
The head coach’s expectations are also high. NC team head coach Lee Ho-joon, who met at Changwon NC Park after the NC New Year’s Party on the 5th, said, “Our team has done a good job of introducing foreign players. We use the same manual to select. It is not my feeling, nor is it a recommendation for that player. I have only seen the video of that player once. Before that, the team gave feedback on the player’s situation. As usual, please ask the international team and team leader to select outstanding players. Although you can only know it by opening the lid, the evaluation is higher than toenails and hearts.”
Peddie and Hart will be active on the court as super aces in the 2023 and 2024 seasons respectively, and are the players leading NC’s starting lineup. First, Peddie achieved the Triple Crown with 20 wins (1st), 6 losses, 209 strikeouts (1st), and an ERA of 2.00 (1st) and successfully entered the top league. Hart, a left-handed pitcher, also achieved 13 wins and 3 losses, an ERA of 2.69, and 182 strikeouts, and committed to the Major League Baseball.
The NC team will continue to play with Riley Thompson this year who went 17-7 last year and had an ERA of 3.45. In this case, if Taylor can be active on the court as a super ace as the head coach said, he can create an all-time long-range shot.
Coach Lee said, “When we selected the list of foreign pitchers, (Taylor) was one of the players who entered the game once or twice. I am also looking forward to it.” The media reported, “We also like foreign pitchers, but they only reported on foreign pitchers from other teams, so it was sad.” During the survey, it was evaluated that he was second only to Peddie and Hart. Very much looking forward to it. “
Of course, the activity of other first-mover resources is also important. The NC team was troubled by its weak starting lineup as early as the 2025 season. Head coach Lee Ho-jun plans to end the composition of the starting lineup through competition. Todanacki, who was hired as a player in Asia, is no exception.
Coach Lee said, “Last year we said we would prepare a seventh starter, but this time we will prepare nine (laughs). The rest of the players will be prepared assuming battery life. If a five-man lineup is formed, about 1 to 2 of these players will go to the long-distance training area. The remaining players will go to the Futures (second-team) league to prepare for substitute selection. The pitching coach has selected nine starters. Asia Toda is basically a starter, and he also needs competition. As for the starter, long-distance pitch, and middle position, they will be decided through this training camp. Therefore, in this CAMP2 (NC spring training), there will be more green and white games and practice games. It is difficult to grasp the practice games. Fortunately, the conditions allow us to conduct a lot of experiments. “
He continued: “I also want to play starting baseball. Before the New Year meeting, coach Kim Kyung-tae and I held a 2-3 hour meeting to determine the direction of the training camp. “(Last year) the starting lineup collapsed early, and there were many overloads in the middle. I don’t want to start six innings, pitch multiple relief pitchers, and not have consecutive pitches. I really want to be like the LG Twins. This year’s pitching coach also made it his primary goal to start five innings. His goal is to make 54 to 60 high-quality starts (a start of more than 6 innings and less than 3 earned runs). I will reduce the overload of the backup lineup and eliminate worries about injuries. “I want that too.”
“Local ace” Goo Changmo is also an important member of NC’s starting lineup. Coach Lee Ho-joon said, “(Old) Chang-mo has a high probability of getting injured after playing 40 innings, and there is information about injuries after 80 innings. I was thinking about how to grasp the key points that require rest, but I chose it. Pitch 40 innings, rest once, pitch 40 innings, once. We will catch more. This level should be enough. I plan to follow that preparation.” If Gun Changmo (the healthy Goo Changmo) can achieve 14 to 15 wins as we expected, our ranking will rise by two levels. “
[昌原=MK体育记者 李汉周]
