Journeyman pitcher joins Phillies organization a season after stop in South Korea
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A native of Amarillo, Texas, with big-league stops in larger cities like Atlanta, Anaheim, Kansas City and Baltimore, left-hander Tucker Davidson had never called a place home like he did last year. The starting pitcher took the jump overseas and spent most of the 2025 season with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization. While it was “very different,” Davidson enjoyed his chance to take in a new environment during his time playing in Busan, South Korea.
“I’m used to seeing cattle and just different things like that out in the middle of Texas over there,” Davidson said last week. “It was crazy. Like 90-something percent of people live in apartments (in South Korea), and they’re 100 stories up.”
A 30-year-old journeyman, Davidson last pitched in the majors in 2024, when he made one appearance for the Orioles. Last year, he decided his best option was to sign with a KBO team, and he had a successful, albeit truncated, campaign. Now, he’s back stateside with the Phillies organization for the full 2026 season.
“It was a great experience going over to Korea,” Davidson said. “They treated me great. Everything about it was great.”
Davidson enjoyed the high-rise buildings, the cleanliness of the city and his teammates, coaches and translators. He said the Korean food was “amazing,” estimating that he gained five or 10 extra pounds over the course of the season.
“You don’t realize how much rice and noodles you’re eating,” Davidson said, “and then all of a sudden you’re like, ‘Oh, man. This is really good, and I’ve had it three times today.'”
On the field, he noticed some discrepancies in the style of play in the KBO compared to in the United States. In major-league affiliated ball, batters are often selling out for power; they’ll hunt a first-pitch breaking ball to try to put it over the fence, and they’ll still swing hard with two strikes. In Korea, Davidson found that opponents would be more selective about the pitches they’d look to drive and that they weren’t afraid to go for a base hit or foul a pitch off to avoid a strikeout.
“The hitters’ approaches are a lot different,” Davidson said. “They’re not afraid to give off their B or C swing just to spoil a pitch. Versus here, a lot of guys are trying to, especially early in the count, do damage to the ball.”
The lefty had to adapt and make adjustments to his pitch sequencing. He worked to improve his splitter. But he pitched quite well for the Giants, posting a 3.65 ERA in 22 starts.
Davidson had every intention of finishing out the 2025 season in the KBO, but Lotte had other plans. The Giants released him in August when they signed former Phillies pitcher Vince Velasquez, as the move would have put the team over its limit of three foreign players.
That was a disappointment and a lesson for Davidson, who made the 18-hour flight home and signed with the Brewers a week later on a minor-league contract for the rest of the year.
“It taught me it is still a business, anywhere you are in the world,” Davidson said, “but if you go out there and produce and put up good numbers, you’re going to put yourself in a good spot.”
Davidson’s performance in the KBO and in Triple-A last season earned him a minor-league deal with the Phillies for 2026. He hoped to put his best foot forward in spring training and battle to make the major-league club, but a bout with vertigo set him back during camp. He’s beginning the year at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and he’ll serve as a depth starter for the organization once he’s built up.
The current focus for Davidson is on the task ahead, and he’s more than happy to be pitching in the minor leagues again. But if the opportunity ever popped up again, he’d definitely consider another go-around in the KBO.
“I enjoyed it and I would go back if they wanted me to,” Davidson said. “But as of now, I want to be a Phillie and I’m really enjoying this organization.”