Not every player gets it right the first time, and that was certainly the case for former Major League pitcher Cody Ponce. A former second-round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2015, Ponce never lived up to the hype, and after a tumultuous tenure with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2020-2021, went overseas to restore his career.
Ponce did just that, and after four years split between Nippon Professional Baseball and the Korea Baseball Organization, made his return to the big leagues after signing a three-year, $30 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Last season, the right-hander appeared in 29 games for the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO and posted an impressive 17-1 record with 252 strikeouts over 180u2154 innings pitched.