New Heroes pitcher Rosenberg determined to earn teammates' respect with work ethic

Kenny Rosenberg / Captured from Rosenberg's Instagram account

Left-hander Kenny Rosenberg signed with the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) in November 2024, but the move was two years in the making.

The Heroes first approached the 29-year-old American after Rosenberg's first major league season with the Los Angeles Angels in 2022, and then during and after the 2023 season. Each time, the Angels refused to let him leave.

Then after the 2024 season, in which he made seven appearances in Major League Baseball (MLB) and 21 starts in Triple-A, Rosenberg told the Angels brass that he was not happy with where he stood in the organization. They seemed more intent on giving younger starters a chance to pitch and Rosenberg felt he wasn't being used as a starter.

The Angels finally allowed him to take his talent to South Korea and Rosenberg is looking forward to being a full-time starter at the top of the Heroes' rotation.

"I get to go and be a starting pitcher for the Kiwoom Heroes. And that's it," Rosenberg told Yonhap News Agency in a Zoom interview on Friday. "Obviously, performance will dictate some of these things. But I get an opportunity to just go pitch. There's no question about my standing with the team or my role. They want me to take the ball every five or six days and be that guy for them. And that's what was most attractive to me: the opportunity to just do my job and not worry about anything else."

KBO teams are each permitted to sign up to three foreign players, with a maximum two pitchers. The Heroes will be the only team carrying one foreign pitcher this year, with the nine other teams all having signed two foreign pitchers to go along with two position players.

Rosenberg will be one of the oldest starting pitchers for the Heroes, who plan to give recently drafted teenagers some opportunities.

Rosenberg, entering his 10th professional season out of California State University, Northridge, with close to 800 innings under his belt, said he would love to take on a mentorship role for younger teammates and become "a positive influence." But he also noted he'd first like to build strong relationships.

"I don't expect to be throwing my first bullpen in spring training in a few weeks and have a bunch of guys asking me questions," he said. "But what I do plan to do is to go about my business the same way that I always do and to lead by example early on and to show them how serious I am.

"Hopefully in turn, throughout the season, I'm able to build some of those relationships," he continued. "And if I can make a couple guys just a little bit better and lift them up, that would be a huge win for the team."

To learn more about the KBO, Rosenberg said he spoke with Trey Hillman, who managed the SK Wyverns (currently SSG Landers) to the 2018 Korean Series title, and Wil Crowe, who pitched for the Kia Tigers here last year. Rosenberg played in the minor leagues with Dietrich Enns, who pitched for the LG Twins in 2024.

He also asked the Heroes to send him some video of KBO games, in particular ones featuring left-handers, and he noticed "a significantly different game" than the one in the U.S.

For one, he said the KBO is "a lot more a contact oriented," whereas in the majors, even hitters in the bottom third of the lineup can be home run threats. But Rosenberg said he is no stranger to this style of baseball thanks to his experience in the Big West Conference in college, which featured bunting and emphasis on contact.

"Being a starting pitcher, your job is not just to punch guys out. You've got to get quick outs, be efficient and hold runners," he said. "I'm not an overpowering pitcher from a stuff perspective. So those are some things that I've actually had to do even in the minor leagues for a long time now. So it's something I'm very comfortable with. This style of baseball actually fits what I like to do."

Kenny Rosenberg / Captured from Rosenberg's Instagram account

Rosenberg, who throws the four-seam fastball, curveball, changeup and gyro slider, added he will embrace the challenge of facing "very smart" hitters in the KBO. He is confident in all of his pitches and he doesn't see the need to add to or change his arsenal.

"I'll do some unorthodox things on the mound," he said with a smile. "My repertoire is not something I think that many of these hitters have seen and I don't think I will be pitching them the way that they're used to being pitched. So I think it'll be a really fun challenge to see a different style of baseball."

Having already experienced the automated ball-strike system and pitch clock in the minors -- the former was implemented in the KBO last year and the latter will be introduced this year -- Rosenberg said he will have "a sense of comfort and familiarity" with the new technology.

Entering his first season in the new country, all Rosenberg has to do is "to focus on the controllables."

"First and foremost, I want to be a great teammate. I want to earn the trust and respect of my teammates and my coaches, my interpreter, and everybody within the organization. I think that will take care of a lot of things within the team and set us up for success regardless of what the win-loss record is," he said. "Secondly, I want to make every start. I want to be healthy. I want to be willing and able to take the ball whenever they need me to. If they want me to pitch into the eighth and ninth inning, I'm not going to say no. If anything, I'll be asking for more."

Rosenberg added he also wants to be "consistent from a personal perspective" around his teammates.

"I want to be the same guy in the clubhouse regardless of the way that I perform on the field," he said. "I want to make sure that I take care of my business, I do my workouts and take care of all of the things that I need to do physically as well as the way that I act within the clubhouse personally, regardless of performance or what the win-loss record is. If I can do those few things, I think the rest takes care of itself." (Yonhap)