Taiwanese Chinese Professional Baseball League Lotte Monkeys announce signing of right-hander Beau Sulser. Yihsuan Wang of Yahoo Taiwan reported a few weeks ago that Sulser was in talks with the CPBL team. The right is represented by Ecumenical Sports Management.
Sulser, who turned 31 in May, is in the majors in 2022. His strikeout rate against hitters was 19.2% and his on-base rate was 9.1%.
His minor league numbers that year were a bit interesting. In 56 2/3 Triple-A innings between the two clubs, his 4.13 ERA was fairly middling, but his 24.3% strikeout rate and 5.7% walk rate were both strong numbers.
Entering 2023, he signed with KT Wiz of the Korean KBO League and headed to Asia. The move didn’t work out for him as he posted a 5.62 ERA in 49 2/3 innings and was released in June. He returned to North America during the second half of the 2023 and 2024 seasons, bouncing around on minor league deals. Between the Pirates and Blue Jays, he posted a 5.63 earned-run average and 112 innings of minor league ball over a year and a half. His 6.6% on-base rate is still good, but his strikeout rate is only 17.9%.
If he remains with the affiliate in 2025, Sulser will certainly be limited to another minor league deal and have an uphill battle to return to the majors. Instead, he’ll once again head overseas for a clearer opportunity and possibly a guaranteed salary than what he was making pitching in Triple-A ballparks.
