NC Dinos sign new infielder Blaine Crim

The NC Dinos announced that they signed a new infielder, Blaine Crim, on Wednesday.

The Dinos said that Crim agreed to a $275,000 deal — with the opportunity to make another $50,000 in incentives — for the rest of the 2026 KBO season. The 29-year-old American is scheduled to join the Dinos on Thursday.

Crim, who bats and throws right, has appeared in 20 major league games, all of them for the Texas Rangers and the Colorado Rockies during the 2025 season. He batted .200 with five home runs and 12 RBIs in those games.

Crim was drafted by the Rangers in 2019 before the Rockies selected him off waivers in August 2025. After the Rockies released him, the Rangers picked him off waivers this May.

Crim has spent the entire 2026 season in Triple-A, where he batted .265 with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs in 57 games.

Crim, who has primarily played first base but has also appeared at third base and both corner outfield positions, launched at least 20 home runs in every minor league season from 2021 to 2025.

The Dinos said that Crim combines power and plate discipline and that his contact ability and low strikeout rate will suit him well in the KBO.

Crim is taking over from Matt Davidson, who was released by the Dinos last week after hitting eight homers and driving in 40 runs in 63 games. Davidson, who led the KBO with 46 home runs in 2024, signed with another KBO team, Kiwoom Heroes, on Monday.

Yonhap