Doosan Bears sign Jose Rojas on one-year, $1 million contract

Baseball

Published: 27 Oct. 2022, 15:07

Doosan Bears sign Jose Rojas on one-year, $1 million contract

Jose Rojas pose while signing a contract with the Doosan Bears in a picture provided by the club on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

The Doosan Bears have signed former major leaguer Jose Rojas on a one-year deal worth up to $1 million.

The 29-year-old infielder will earn $850,000 in guaranteed salary with $100,000 in incentives and a $50,000 signing bonus.

Rojas joins the Bears after making his major league debut with the Los Angeles Angles last season. He has been in and out of the big league squad for the last two seasons, racking up 22 appearances this year with a .125 batting average, seven hits and one RBI.

In the minors, Rojas had a .274 batting average this season with 75 hits, 52 RBIs and 20 home runs in 69 games.

Rojas replaces Jose Fernandez, the popular Bears first-baseman-turned-designated-hitter who played with the Seoul club for the last four seasons.

Fernandez led the KBO in hits in 2019 and 2020 and, although his form dropped off in recent seasons, he finished in the top 10 in batting average every single year he played here.

Jose Fernandez celebrates during a game on July 5. [YONHAP]

Over four seasons in the KBO, Fernandez maintained a .328 batting average with 723 hits, 351 RBIs, 57 home runs and a 0.457 slugging percentage.

Last winter, Fernandez, who is affectionately known as Jose by Doosan fans, was one of only two foreign position players to survive the offseason. Although the Bears failed to make the playoffs this season, last year Fernandez carved out his spot in postseason history, batting in five runs in the Wildcard game, a new league record for the most RBIs hit by a single player since the Wildcard was introduced in 2015.

As well as his efforts on the field, Fernandez is also well-known for his antics off it. A huge figure in the Doosan dugout, Fernandez had a close relationship with his teammates and was often caught on camera joking around with teammates.

Rojas is the first foreign player to sign with a club this year, with the offseason yet to actually start as the playoffs continue.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]