Socrates Brito of the Toronto Blue Jays catches a fly ball in the sixth inning during MLB game action against the San Francisco Giants Rogers Centre on April 23, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. Brito re-signed with the KBO’s Kia Tigers for a third season. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
Dominican outfielder Socrates Brito re-signed with the KIA Tigers for the 2024 Korean Baseball Organization season.
His $1.2 million contract for 2024 includes a $500,000 salary, a $300,000 signing bonus, and $400,000 in incentives, Yoo Jee-ho of Yonhap News Agency reported on December 18.
Brito will play in his third season in South Korea with the Tigers organization in 2024. He has been an All-Star in each of his first two seasons in the KBO.
According to Yoo, “KBO clubs can sign a maximum of three foreign players, [and] no more than two pitchers.”
Brito, 31, was born in Azua, Dominican Republic, and has played 14 professional seasons in the minor leagues, Major League Baseball, and the winter leagues.
Last season, Brito played in 142 games with the Tigers, batting .285 with 608 plate appearances and smacking 156 hits, 31 doubles, three triples, 20 home runs, 96 RBI, 15 stolen bases, 52 walks, 80 strikeouts and a .806 OPS.
The Kia Tigers finished sixth and did not make the playoffs with a 73-69-2 record, and finished one game back of the Doosan Bears, who held the fifth seed with a 74-68-2 overall record. The top five teams in the regular season advance to the KBO playoffs.
In 2022, Brito suited up in 127 games during his first season in South Korea hitting .311 with 554 plate appearances recording 160 hits, 29 doubles, seven triples, 17 home runs, 77 RBI, swiping 12 bases, 34 walks, 81 strikeouts, and a .848 OPS.
Prior to his first season in South Korea during the 2021-22 winter league season, Brito played in 39 games with the Estrellas Orientales in LIDOM, hitting .260 over 170 plate appearances, recording 39 hits, seven doubles, two triples, two home runs, 14 RBI, six stolen bases, 15 walks, 27 strikeouts, and a .705 OPS.
Brito elected free agency from the New York Yankees on Nov. 7, 2021 prior to exploring his options to play overseas.
Brito has played four seasons in MLB since he made his debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 8, 2015. He has played with the Diamondbacks from 2015-16 and 2018 and the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019 during his MLB career.
In 14 seasons between all levels, Brito has played in 1,596 games with a lifetime average of .282 in 6,538 plate appearances recording 1,686 hits, 300 doubles, 100 triples, 136 home runs, 782 RBI, 236 stolen bases, 459 walks, 1,272 strikeouts, and a .766 OPS.
The 2024 KBO regular season will start on March 23. None of the 10 teams in the league have yet to announce their regular season schedule. All 10 teams will report to training camp during the middle of January.
