Former Phillies OF Aaron Altherr re-signs with NC Dinos

Former Phillies OF Aaron Altherr will remain playing overseas in 2021.

After becoming a Korean Series champion in his first season playing overseas, former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Aaron Altherr will remain in the Korean Baseball Organization for the 2021 season.

On Friday, the NC Dinos announced they have re-signed Altherr to a one-year deal worth $1.3 million with up to $100,000 additional in incentives. Spanning 136 games and 546 plate appearances for the Dinos last year, his first in the KBO, Altherr slashed .278/.352/.541 with 20 doubles, seven triples, 31 home runs, and 108 RBI.

The Germany native’s team finished with a KBO-best record of 83-55, a .601 winning percentage, and went on to best the Doosan Bears, 4-2, in Game 6 of the best-of-seven Korean Series for their first-ever championship. Overall in the series, Altherr hit .333 with seven hits — including one home run — three runs scored, five RBI, one walk, and four strikeouts spanning 21 at-bats.

Altherr said in a team press release that his teammates and fans were nice and treated him like family, which helped in his transition from playing in MLB to the KBO. He added that they NC Dinos are only going to grew and he will do everything he can to help them win again and again.

The Phillies drafted Altherr, who will turn 30 on January 14, in the ninth round of the 2009 draft out of high school. Spanning 332 games in red pinstripes from 2014-19, he slashed .222/.311/.405 with 53 doubles, 10 triples, 36 home runs, and 148 RBI. Altherr also played for the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets in 2019, before inking a deal with the NC Dinos that offseason.

Altherr was not the only player formerly from the Phillies organization to play in Korea in 2020, during the pandemic. David Buchanan and Ben Lively played for the Samsung Lions, and Ricardo Pinto with the SK Wyverns, while fellow right-hander Dan Straily and outfielder Hyun Soo Kim appeared with the Lotte Giants and LG Twins, respectively.