With the news that ESPN will broadcast six Korean Baseball Organization games per week, beginning Tuesday at 1 a.m. ET with a matchup between the Samsung Lions and NC Dinos, baseball fans will soon be reunited with some familiar names and faces.

In recent years, the KBO has served as a stage for former big league players to resuscitate their careers. Eric Thames won the KBO MVP Award in 2014, his first of a three-year stint with the NC Dinos during which he batted .349/.451/.721 with 124 homers and 382 RBIs in 390 games, before signing a three-year, $16 million contract with Milwaukee prior to the '17 season. The Brewers tapped into the KBO again this offseason to sign Josh Lindblom to a three-year, $9.1 million pact, after the 32-year-old right-hander had turned in three impressive KBO seasons, including an MVP Award-winning campaign in 2019.

This year’s crop of KBO talent is teeming with former big leaguers and prospects. The latter group, specifically, includes three former MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospects in Casey Kelly, Nick Kingham and Dan Straily, as well as a much longer list of players who, at one point, were ranked as Top 30 prospects for their respective clubs.

Here’s what you need to know about the former prospects set to play in the 2020 KBO season:

Raúl Alcántara, RHP (Red Sox, A’s): Acquired from Red Sox along with Josh Reddick in the December 2011 deal that sent Andrew Bailey to Boston, Alcántara became a staple on the A’s Top 30 Prospects list, making six straight appearances (2012-17). He made his big league debut along the way, posting a 7.19 ERA in 46 1/3 innings with Oakland across two seasons (2017-18) before electing free agency and signing with KBO’s KT Wiz at age 26. He pitched decently in his first campaign abroad, recording a 4.01 ERA over 27 starts.

Aaron Altherr, OF (Phillies, Giants, Mets): Selected in the ninth round of the 2009 Draft, Altherr made a slow but steady climb through the Phillies’ system and appeared on the organization’s Top 30 Prospects list four times, reaching as high as No. 5 in 2014. The 6-foot-5 outfielder made his big league debut that year but didn’t put himself on the map until '17, when he batted .272/.340/.516 with 19 homers and 65 RBIs in 107 games. But after producing a .628 OPS through 105 games for the Phillies in 2018 and a .300 OPS between the Phillies, Giants and Mets in 61 at-bats in ’19, Altherr will look for better results in the KBO after signing a one-year deal with the NC Dinos in November.

Jake Brigham, RHP (Rangers, Cubs, Pirates, Braves, Tigers): The Rangers traded their 2006 sixth-rounder to the Cubs in the July 2012 Geovany Soto deal only to acquire him back in an offseason deal. He underwhelmed (8.64 ERA in 16 2/3 innings) during his only Major League action with the Braves in 2015 at age 27 and headed overseas the following year to pitch in Japan’s NPB before joining the KBO in ’17. The 32-year-old right-hander enters his fourth year in the circuit -- and his second with the Kiwoom Heroes -- with a career 3.72 ERA in 501 1/3 innings (82 starts).

Chris Flexen, RHP (Mets): The 2012 14th-rounder was ranked as the Mets’ No. 29 prospect in back-to-back years before shooting up to No. 8 on the list in 2018. He performed much better in the Minors (3.61 ERA in 588 innings) than he did in New York (8.07 ERA in 68 innings), where he pitched in parts of three seasons for the Mets before they released him in December 2019. Shortly thereafter, the right-hander inked a deal with the Doosan Bears.

Drew Gagnon, RHP (Brewers, Angels, Mets): The 2011 third-round pick was a three-time member of Milwaukee’s Top 30 Prospects list (2013-15) but didn’t reach the Majors until 2018, after he had been traded to the Angels and then signed as a free agent by New York. The 29-year-old right-hander scuffled during parts of two seasons with the Mets -- posting a 7.32 ERA over 35 2/3 innings -- before signing with the Kia Tigers in December '19.

Jared Hoying, OF (Rangers): Though Hoying put up solid numbers across five seasons at Triple-A Round Rock, producing a .254/.308/.465 line with 83 homers in 512 games, his production never translated to the Major Leagues, where he compiled a .220/.262/.288 slash line with one homer in 126 plate appearances spanning two seasons (2016-17). The 30-year-old has fared far better in his two KBO seasons, hitting .296/.355/.519 with 48 homers and 183 RBIs in 266 games for Hanwha.

Eric Jokisch, LHP (Cubs, Marlins, Rangers, D-backs, A’s): The southpaw was ranked as the Cubs’ No. 26 prospect in 2015, the year after he had posted a 1.88 ERA over 14 1/3 innings in his first taste of the big leagues. He never got back to The Show, however, bouncing between four different organizations' Minor League affiliates before moving to the KBO in '19 and logging a 3.57 ERA with 141 strikeouts in 181 1/3 innings for the Kiwoom Heroes in his first season overseas.

Casey Kelly, RHP (Red Sox, Padres, Braves, Cubs, Giants): The most highly-touted prospect of any player currently in the KBO, Kelly is one of the three in the league who once ranked among MLB’s Top 100. The 2008 first-round pick peaked at No. 22 on the 2011 Top 50 Prospects list shortly after being acquired from the Red Sox (along with Anthony Rizzo and Rey Fuentes) for Adrián González. He made his big league debut with San Diego in 2012 but underwent Tommy John surgery the following spring and didn’t resurface in the Majors until ’15. He worked a combined 45 1/3 frames (4.37 ERA) for the Braves and Giants from 2016-18 before signing with the LG Twins, with whom he posted a 3.49 ERA over 180 1/3 innings (29 starts) in his first season.

Nick Kingham, RHP (Pirates, Blue Jays): Kingham appeared on seven consecutive Pirates Top 30 Prospects lists (2012-18) and was an MLB Pipeline Top 100 Prospect in 2015 (No. 74) before Tommy John surgery wiped out his year. He had a spectacular big league debut in 2018, retiring the first 20 batters he faced before completing seven one-hit frames with nine strikeouts against St. Louis, but was dealt to Toronto for cash in June 2019 after posting a 6.67 ERA over 131 2/3 innings over two seasons in Pittsburgh. The 6-foot-5 righty will pitch for the KBO’s SK Wyverns this year after signing in November.

Ben Lively, RHP (Reds, Phillies, Royals): The Reds traded Lively, their 2013 fourth-round pick, to Philadelphia for Marlon Byrd ahead of the ’15 season, and he opened the year at No. 7 on the Phillies Top 30 Prospects list. Though he had fallen to No. 25 on said list by '17, Lively still reached the Major Leagues that year and posted a 4.26 ERA across 15 starts. Claimed off waivers by Kansas City in Sept. 2018, the 28-year-old righty worked just 7 2/3 innings for the Royals (2018-19) before signing with the KBO’s Samsung Lions.

Dixon Machado, SS (Tigers, Cubs): A three-time Tigers Top 30 Prospect who peaked at No. 10 on the list in 2017, Machado spent parts of four years (2015-18) in the Majors with Detroit, hitting .227/.285/.295 in 505 plate appearances. He performed better at Triple-A Iowa in 2019, setting career highs in home runs (17) and OPS (.851), and signed with the Lotte Giants in November.

Taylor Motter, IF/OF (Rays, Mariners, Twins, Tigers, A’s): Ranked by MLB Pipeline as Tampa Bay’s No. 26 prospect going into the 2016 season, Motter, a super-utility man, never made much of an impact offensively during parts of three years in the Majors, batting .191/.263/.312 in 141 games between the Rays, Mariners and Twins. He’ll look to get back on track with the Kiwoom Heroes in the KBO after batting just .206 with the Tigers’ and Rangers’ Double-A affiliates in 2019.

Ricardo Pinto, RHP (Phillies, White Sox, Rays, Giants): Though the Venezuelan right-hander spent three years (2015-17) on the Phillies Top 30 Prospects list, peaking at No. 10 in 2016, Pinto’s control issues (5.2 BB/9) limited his effectiveness during his 2017 rookie campaign (7.89 ERA in 29 2/3 IP), and he struggled even more during a pair of outings with the Rays in ’19. Still just 26, he’s set to make his KBO debut after inking a one-year deal with SK Wyverns in November.

Roberto Ramos, 1B (Rockies): A 16th-round pick by Colorado in 2014, Ramos erupted to hit 32 homers between Class A Advanced Lancaster and Double-A Hartford in ’18 and opened last season as the organization’s No. 27 prospect. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound left-handed slugger added another 30 bombs while slashing .309/.400/.580 last season at Triple-A Albuquerque but was released after the season, leading to him signing with the KBO’s LG Twins.

Mel Rojas Jr., OF (Pirates, Braves): A third-round pick in the 2010 Draft, Rojas spent eight seasons in the Minors (.258/.325/.376, 46 HR) between Pittsburgh and Atlanta before signing with the KT Wiz. He’s been one of the KBO’s top hitters in the past three years, slashing a combined .310/.377/.561 with 85 homers and 274 RBIs in 369 games. He racked up 24 homers and 104 RBIs last year after erupting for 43 dingers and 114 RBIs in 2018.

Jamie Romak, IF/OF (Braves, Pirates, Royals, Cardinals, Dodgers, D-backs, Padres): A super-utility player whom the Braves originally drafted in the fourth round (2003), Romak didn’t reach the Majors until his age-28 season in 2014 with the Dodgers and saw some time with Arizona the following year, compiling a .167 average over 39 plate appearances between the two seasons. Overall, he played for seven different organizations before transitioning to the KBO, where he’s slashed .283/.376/.554 with 103 homers in 380 games in three campaigns with SK Wyverns.

Drew Rucinski, LHP (Indians, Angels, Cubs, Twins, Marlins): Signed as a non-drafted free agent by Cleveland in 2011, Rucinski inked a free-agent deal with the Angels two years later and made his big league debut in 2014. He didn’t receive an extended audition in the Major Leagues until 2018, when he posted a 4.33 ERA over 32 appearances out of Miami’s bullpen, and built upon that performance last year with a 3.05 ERA over 177 1/3 innings (30 starts) for the NC Dinos in his first KBO campaign.

Tyler Saladino, INF/OF (White Sox, Brewers): Set to make his KBO debut after signing with the Samsung Lions, Saladino was a two-time White Sox Top 30 prospect who compiled a .231/.281/.330 line while serving as a super-utility player for the club from 2015-18. He held a similar role with the Brewers in the past two years, batting .202/.265/.333 while appearing in parts of 80 games.

Adrian Sampson, RHP (Pirates, Mariners, Rangers): The Pirates’ No. 24 prospect going into the 2015 season, Sampson was traded to the Mariners for J.A. Happ at the Trade Deadline that year and made his big league debut with Seattle the following year. Though surgery to repair a flexor tendon injury in his right elbow would sideline him for the rest of the season, Sampson returned to the Majors with the Rangers in 2018 and logged 125 1/3 innings (5.89 ERA) for the club in ’19. Texas released the right-hander in November, allowing him to sign with the KBO’s Lotte Giants.

Dan Straily, RHP (A’s, Cubs, Astros, Reds, Marlins, Orioles): Perhaps the most accomplished player on this list, Straily, a former 24th-round pick, came out of nowhere to have a breakout 2012 campaign during which he ascended from Double-A to the Major Leagues while also cracking MLB Pipeline’s midseason Top 100 list (No. 81). He finished fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting the next year but struggled to build upon that success in 2013 before going to the Cubs, along with Addison Russell and Billy McKinney, in the Jeff Samardzija Deadline deal. He had a bit of a resurgence with Cincinnati in 2016, posting a 3.76 ERA over a career-high 191 1/3 innings, only to fall off in subsequent years with Miami (2017-18) and Baltimore (2019). And after compiling a 4.56 ERA in 803 1/3 frames spanning eight big league seasons, the 31-year-old signed a one-year, $800,000 pact with the Lotte Giants this past December.

Preston Tucker, OF (Astros, Braves, Reds, White Sox): A former seventh-round pick (2012) and the older brother of Houston’s Kyle Tucker, Preston batted .311/.381/.479 last year in his first season with the Kia Tigers. During his three-year big league career, the 29-year-old outfielder slashed .222/.281/.403 with 23 homers over 243 games with the Astros, Braves and Reds.

Tyler Wilson, RHP (Orioles): A two-time member of the Orioles Top 30 Prospects list who peaked as the organization’s No. 8 prospect in 2015, Wilson pitched to mixed results during parts of three seasons in Baltimore, registering a 5.02 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 4.8 K/9 over 145 1/3 innings. He fared much better during his time in the Minors (3.85 ERA in 726 1/3 frames), though, and owns a 2.99 ERA in 355 innings (56 starts) with the LG Twins in the KBO.

Mike Wright, RHP (Orioles, Mariners): A staple on Baltimore’s Top 30 Prospects list from 2012-16 who ranked inside the Top 10 for three straight years (2013-15), Wright had a dominant big league debut in 2015 (7 1/3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 6 K) but ultimately struggled to carve out a role with the organization, posting a 5.95 ERA over 242 innings before they dealt him to Seattle in April 2019. The 30-year-old right-hander elected free agency after the season and signed a one-year deal with the KBO’s NC Dino’s in November.