Socrates Brito, 32, who ended his three-season stint with the KIA Tigers, has already found a new team. However, the time is not long. He will have to knock on the door again soon to be re-employed. Nobody knows where he will go next. Maybe, he will have an opportunity to play again on the Korean stage, which he became attached to.
Kia officially announced on Wednesday that it signed a contract with foreign batter Patrick Wisdom for a total of 1 million U.S. dollars, including a down payment of 200,000 dollars and an annual salary of 800,000 dollars. Socrates, who spent three seasons with Kia, naturally confirmed his separation.
Socrates left a farewell message to Kia's team and its fans, whom he had grown attached to. "I want to say thank you to the team for allowing me to be with them over the past three years. I want to thank my teammates who have always been supportive like a family, coaches who have always made efforts to become better players, and fans who have shown unconditional love. I will keep it in everyone's heart," he said on social media.
"I'm glad that all my hard work paid off with the victory. I will never forget that feeling. Trust, gratitude, and joy. This is how I end this moment. I finished a cycle and will continue my new challenges with confidence that I did a good job. Thank you all," he wrote in Korean with a finger heart emoticon.
Before leaving greetings, Socrates was already preparing for a breakup and looking for a new job. He returned to his hometown and played in two games on the 22nd and 23rd (Korea time) in the Dominican Winter League's Leonese del Escohido uniform, recording three hits, one score, one walk, and three steals from eight times at bat. The Leonese club also released a video of Socrates wearing a Santa hat and delivering Christmas greetings on its official SNS.
I got a new job, but I don't have long time to play. Typically, the Dominican Winter League runs from October to January of the following year. At the end of the season, Socrates has to find a new team again.
It is difficult to immediately seek a return to the Major League. He will turn 33 next year, and he is not making a U-turn due to his remarkable performance in the KBO League. If he seeks to return to the big league, he should sign a minor league contract and break through the competition for survival in spring training. Or, he can play in other overseas leagues such as the Mexican league like Yasiel Puig (Kium Heroes), and seek opportunities.
If only the sense of play is maintained steadily, the opportunity to re-employment the KBO League may come. There are always variables in a season. Socrates can be a good alternative if a foreign hitter out of the 10 clubs suffers an unexpected injury or falls into a severe slump and needs to consider replacing.
Socrates, who joined Kia in the 2022 season, had a batting average of 0.311 with 17 home runs and 77 RBIs and an OPS of 0.848 in his first season, a batting average of 0.285 with 20 home runs and 96 RBIs in 142 games last year, and a career high of 0.310 with an OPS of 0.807 in 140 games this year, contributing to his team's overall win. His overall performance in the three seasons is 0.302 with 63 home runs, 270 RBIs and 40 steals and an OPS of 0.843 in 409 games.
Socrates hit more than 30% in the KBO League, swept 21 home runs and 90 RBIs on average for the season, and also stole double-digit bases every year. It is not an overwhelming performance, but it has done its part in the lineup. If there is a team that needs to take out a foreign player replacement card, it may draw attention to Socrates, who does not need much adaptation. In particular, considering that it is a "slow starter" that recovers a sense of hitting from the hot weather, Socrates may be a "lottery to scratch" when foreign hitters were not satisfied after the first half of the year.
Socrates' life in Korea, which appeared at the batter's box with addictive cheerleaders by making them dance "sitting dance" regardless of home and away fans, ended with three seasons. It remains to be seen whether "Tes-hyung," who returned to his hometown with memories of "unforgettable for the rest of his life," will return to the 먹튀검증 KBO League in the 2025 season wearing a team uniform other than KIA.