Patrick Wisdom is heading to play in Korea in 2025

News item from over the weekend:

(Click here for the Bluesky post above if you are reading this on Apple News)

Patrick Wisdom will be playing for KBO’s Kia Tigers in 2025. This is, I think, a great landing spot for Wisdom, who turned 33 in August. He ought to hit quite a few home runs in Korea, and will probably make more money than he would have in MLB in 2025. He’s got a friendly personality and could very well become a fan favorite over there.

Wisdom hit 84 home runs in a Cubs uniform, which is tied for 37th on the all-time Cubs list with Ron Cey and Moose Moryn. He hit 28 in just 106 games in 2021, setting a single-season record for Cubs rookies and finishing fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting.

In the summer of 2022, Wisdom hit a couple of colossal home runs to Waveland Avenue. Here’s some analysis of those distances. He always had that sort of prodigious power, but could never hit for a high enough BA or cut down on the strikeouts enough to stay as an everyday regular. Kind of a poor man’s Mark Reynolds.

Here’s the main reason I’m writing this article, in addition to wishing Wisdom well in Korea. When he first came up to the Cubs in May 2021, Wisdom went on a tremendous hot streak. In a 13-game stretch from May 27 through June 8, 2021, Wisdom hit .395/.452/1.079 with eight home runs in only 38 at-bats — and in two of those 13 games, he had just a single at-bat. Wisdom posted a pair of two-homer games in that stretch and I was convinced, certain, absolutely sure that at some point in his career with the Cubs he’d have a three-homer game.

Unfortunately, that never happened. He did hit two in a game six more times with the Cubs, but never three.

Just after that Wisdom hot streak, I wrote this little song parody (file creation date June 15, 2021!), sung to the tune of the Beatles’ “Let It Be” (“speaking words of wisdom,” you know), just in case Wisdom had a three-homer game. Since I’ve been saving it that long, and he’s now gone from the Cubs, I figured I might as well let you read it anyway.

Good luck in Korea, Patrick. Maybe you’ll have a three-homer game over there.

When the Cubs were in their times of trouble, Jed Hoyer came to say
“Here is Patrick Wisdom, let him play.”

And in their hour of darkness he is standing right at home plate
There is Patrick Wisdom, another homer! It’s great!

There he is, playing third, on the lineup card
Hit one, Patrick Wisdom, out of the yard

And all the broken hearted Cub fans living in the world agree
Patrick Wisdom’s the answer, let him be

Hits a baseball, it’s departed, there is still a chance that they will see
Many more just like it, let him be

There’s a homer, there’s another, now there’s three
Patrick Wisdom’s the answer, let him be

The Cardinals let him go, set him free, it’s our gain
Good old Patrick Wisdom, remember his name

Let him be, let him be, let him be, let him be
Slugging Patrick Wisdom, he hit three

And when there is a night game, there is still a light that shines on us
Win one more tomorrow, no more fuss

Patrick Wisdom walks up to “Wanna Dance With Somebody”
Hitting to the music, let him be

And let him be, let him be, let him be, let him be
Patrick Wisdom’s home runs, he hit three

And let him be, let him be, let him be, let him be
Good ol’ Patrick Wisdom, he hit three

And let him be, let him be, let him be, let him be
Wisdom is the answer, he hit three