2016 KBO League season
The 2016 KBO League season was the 35th season in the history of the Korea Professional Baseball League.
Season structure
Stadium changes for 2016 season
- The Nexen Heroes left the 12,500-seat Mokdong Baseball Stadium and began play in the newly built 17,000-seat Gocheok Sky Dome.
- The Samsung Lions left the 10,000-seat Daegu Baseball Stadium and began play in the newly built 24,000-seat Daegu Samsung Lions Park.
- Munhak Baseball Stadium, home of the SK Wyverns, was fitted with a 12,257 square feet scoreboard before the start of the season
Regular season
All-Star Game
On July 16, the best players participated in the 2016 KBO All-Star Game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. The participating franchises were divided into two regions, the Dream All-Stars and Nanum All-Stars. The Nanum All-Star team emerged victorious with an 8–4 victory over the Dream All-Star Team in front of a sold-out crowd of 16, 300 fans. Doosan Bears outfielder Min Byung-hun, who hit two home runs during the game, was named the MVP of the game. The KBO All-Star Game however does not determine home-field advantage in the Korean Series.Postseason
The 2016 KBO League season culminates in its championship series, known as the Korean Series. Before the 2015 season, the Semi-playoff format was tweaked. Previously, the top four teams after the end of the regular season qualified for the postseason, but in 2015, the top five teams qualified for the postseason. The team with the best record gained a direct entry into the Korean Series, while the other four teams competed for the remaining place in a step-ladder playoff system. Starting in 2015, the fourth-place and the fifth-place teams played in a "Wildcard" game/series.Procedure to Determine Final Standings
- Champion : Korean Series Winner
- Runner-up : Korean Series Loser
- Third–Tenth place: Regular Season records determine third to tenth place spots in Final Standings
Standings
Postseason
Wildcard
Semi-playoff
Playoff
Korean Series
Foreign players
Each team could have signed up to three foreign players. Due to the high proportion of pitchers signed in previous years, beginning in 2014 the league mandated that at least one of the foreign players must be a position player. Also with the KT Wiz being an expansion team that started play in 2015, they were given an exemption and were allowed to sign four foreign players instead of just the normally allowed three.| Team | Player | Position | In KBO since | Salary | Notes |
| Samsung Lions | Allen Webster | Pitcher | 2016 | $850,000 | |
| Samsung Lions | Collin Balester | Pitcher | 2016 | $500,000 | Released |
| Samsung Lions | Arnold León | Pitcher | 2016 | $500,000 | Signed to replace Collin Balester |
| Samsung Lions | Aarom Baldiris | Infielder | 2016 | $950,000 | |
| NC Dinos | Zach Stewart | Pitcher | 2015 | $750,000 | |
| NC Dinos | Eric Hacker | Pitcher | 2014 | $900,000 | |
| NC Dinos | Eric Thames | Infielder | 2013 | $1,500,000 | KBO All-Star |
| Doosan Bears | Dustin Nippert | Pitcher | 2011 | $1,200,000 | KBO All-Star, KBO MVP |
| Doosan Bears | Michael Bowden | Pitcher | 2016 | $650,000 | pitched no-hitter on 6/30/16 against NC Dinos |
| Doosan Bears | Nick Evans | First Baseman / Outfielder | 2016 | $550,000 | |
| Nexen Heroes | Ryan Feierabend | Pitcher | 2015 | $580,000 | Released mid-season; picked up by KT Wiz |
| Nexen Heroes | Robert Coello | Pitcher | 2016 | $550,000 | Released |
| Nexen Heroes | Danny Dorn | First Baseman / Outfielder | 2016 | $750,000 | |
| Nexen Heroes | Scott McGregor | Pitcher | 2016 | $150,000 | Signed to replace Robert Coello |
| SK Wyverns | Merrill Kelly | Pitcher | 2015 | $750,000 | KBO All-Star |
| SK Wyverns | Chris Seddon | Pitcher | 2013 | $500,000 | Released |
| SK Wyverns | Héctor Gómez | Infielder | 2016 | $650,000 | |
| SK Wyverns | Braulio Lara | Pitcher | 2016 | $230,000 | Signed to replace Chris Seddon |
| Hanwha Eagles | Esmil Rogers | Pitcher | 2015 | $1,900,000 | Released |
| Hanwha Eagles | Alex Maestri | Pitcher | 2016 | ¥50,000,000 | Released |
| Hanwha Eagles | Wilin Rosario | Catcher / Infielder | 2016 | $1,300,000 | KBO All-Star |
| Hanwha Eagles | Fabio Castillo | Pitcher | 2016 | $250,000 | Signed to replace Alex Maestri |
| Hanwha Eagles | Eric Surkamp | Pitcher | 2016 | $450,000 | Signed to replace Esmil Rogers |
| Kia Tigers | Héctor Noesí | Pitcher | 2016 | $1,700,000 | KBO All-Star |
| Kia Tigers | Zeke Spruill | Pitcher | 2016 | $700,000 | |
| Kia Tigers | Brett Pill | Infielder | 2014 | $900,000 | |
| Lotte Giants | Josh Lindblom | Pitcher | 2015 | $1,200,000 | |
| Lotte Giants | Brooks Raley | Pitcher | 2015 | $680,000 | |
| Lotte Giants | Jim Adduci | Outfielder | 2015 | $780,000 | Released |
| Lotte Giants | Justin Maxwell | Outfielder | 2016 | $280,000 | Signed to replace Jim Adduci |
| LG Twins | Henry Sosa | Pitcher | 2012 | $900,000 | |
| LG Twins | Luis Jimenez | Infielder | 2015 | $900,000 | KBO All-Star |
| LG Twins | Scott Copeland | Pitcher | 2016 | $750,000 | Released |
| LG Twins | David Huff | Pitcher | 2016 | $550,000 | Signed to replace Scott Copeland |
| KT Wiz | Yohan Pino | Pitcher | 2016 | $500,000 | |
| KT Wiz | Sugar Ray Marimón | Pitcher | 2016 | $600,000 | Released |
| KT Wiz | Travis Banwart | Pitcher | 2014 | $600,000 | |
| KT Wiz | Andy Marte | Infielder | 2015 | $850,000 | |
| KT Wiz | Josh Lowey | Pitcher | 2016 | $220,000 | Signed to replace Sugar Ray Marimón |
Foreign hitters
Attendances
| Team | Total attendance | Home average |
| Doosan Bears | 1,165,020 | 16,180 |
| LG Twins | 1,157,646 | 16,078 |
| SK Wyverns | 865,194 | 12,016 |
| Lotte Giants | 852,639 | 11,842 |
| Samsung Lions | 851,417 | 11,825 |
| Nexen Heroes | 782,121 | 10,862 |
| KIA Tigers | 773,499 | 10,743 |
| KT Wiz | 682,444 | 9,478 |
| Hanwha Eagles | 660,472 | 9,173 |
| NC Dinos | 549,125 | 7,627 |