Mike Tauchman inks contract with Korea’s Hanwha Eagles
Former Colorado Rockies outfielder Mike Tauchman is heading to Korea to continue his baseball career, reportedly signing a one-year, $1 million deal with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization.
Mike Tauchman had his moments after being traded by the Colorado Rockies, and now heads to Korea to keep his career going
After being drafted in the 10th round of the 2013 draft by the Colorado Rockies, Tauchman saw action in 52 games for the Rockies during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. However, after making his MLB debut on June 27, 2017, the outfielder could never find his rhythm at the plate, slashing just .153/.265/.203 in 69 plate appearances over the two campaigns while bouncing between Colorado and Triple-A Albuquerque.
During 2019 spring training, he was traded to the New York Yankees in exchange for left-handed reliever Phillip Diehl. With the Yankees, Tauchman put together his best offensive performances, slashing .266/.353/.444 over the course of three seasons between 2019 and 2021. However, after hitting just .214 in his first 11 games of the 2021 season, the Yankees traded him to the San Francisco Giants.
In San Francisco, Tauchman again struggled at the plate, but he did provide one of the defensive highlights of the 2021 season, taking away what would have been a game-winning home run off the bat of Albert Pujols in a matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine.
Despite the heroics, Tauchman was designated for assignment by the Giants on July 29 and was eventually optioned to Triple-A where he would post decent numbers, slashing .266/.370/.438 in 42 games.
He elected free agency on October 13.
After being traded from Colorado, Tauchman became a Rockies killer any time he faced his former team. In 22 career at-bats against Colorado, he has nine hits, including four that went for extra bases. His slash line of .409/.458/.682 with an OPS of 1.140 are the best marks he has against any team with a minimum of 20 at-bats.
Now Tauchman will look to revive his career in the KBO and, if so, have the possibility to return to MLB in the future.