While the Eagles finished close to the bottom in a majority of offensive and pitching categories, theyll look to a staff mixed with veterans and newcomers along with a new GM to help them climb back to the top of the KBO standings in 2020. The park replaced Daegu Baseball Stadium, which was the home of the Lions since their inception in 1982, and sat just 5,000 fans. In the playoffs, games have a 15-inning limit. In 11 playoff games that season, he went 1-1 with one save and two holds, and posted a 3.14 ERA over 14.1 innings. He threw 125 innings for the Rangers in 2019, and it did not go well by MLB standards. The Most Disgusting MLB Pitches! I believe they play twice on April 1 + 2 at Jamsil. Hyeon-jong started his career in 2007 at 19 years old, and has become the crafty lefty and leader of the Tigers pitching staff. Progressive front offices, similar colors, and oh, Thames has played for them both! Player photos and official team logos are the property of their respective teams. The KBO playoffs run on a four-tier ladder system, where the top five teams qualify and the lowest two seeds play each other in a best-of-three game series to advance to the next round. It has been quite an interesting career path for the South Korean product. Likely not, as his days of 20+ HR seasons are in the past. Rucinsky might be more. The KBO's Brightest Star Meet Baek-Ho Kang, a 22-year-old first basemen from Seoul, South Korea, who has taken the KBO by storm and currently leads the league in WAR. All major league baseball data including pitch type, velocity, batted ball location, If you do not remember him, thats okay: He had a stint with the Mariners in 2016 where he posted a .740 OPS in 317 PA before returning to Korea to play for his hometown Giants. A transition across the diamond to first base is a common practice, but the aforementioned Romak has held down the position for the Wyverns over the last few seasons. Hyun-Soo Kim you may remember from his brief stint with the Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies in 2016 and 2017. 1 - Jose Miguel Fernandez The Doosan Bears signed Fernandez before the 2019 season, and he's spent the last two years being a huge part of their lineup. But for every Kelly or Flexen, theres someone like Josh Lindblom, who signed with the Brewers after two great seasons with the Doosan Bears. Leading the league in hits in 2019 was Doosans Jos Miguel Fernndez, a foreigner who played 36 games for the Los Angeles Angels back in 2018. Rucinski throws a low 90s fastball with a cutter as his primary secondary pitch, and also incorporates a slider (with vertical break that looks curvy) and a splitter that can flash good drop and fade. For many years, Korean baseball existed only as amateur teams and informal leagues, often playing against teams in the more reputable Japanese baseball scene. Yang is a key member of the Kia Tigers and is considered one of the top pitchers in the Korean Baseball Organization. Between the 2018 and 2019 seasons, though, the KBO de-juiced their ball and he responded by leading the league with 33 HR, 98 RBI, and 92 runs in a mere 122 games. In three MLB stints, William Cuevas could not get his walk rate under control, but hes found his command in the KBO, cutting a career MLB 6.85 BB/9 to 3.08 in the 2019 KBO season, to the tune of a 3.62 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 184 innings. Starting this game for the Eagles will be Chad Bell. In case you wonder if hes still got it, Ill leave you with this montage of all 33 of his home runs from 2019: By the way, if you wonder why I love the KBO so much, watch the above montage with the volume on and revel in how excited the announcers and crowd get for every home run. While the rate stats have been impressive, Koos innings pitched have also dropped in the last few years. The Twins' offense ranked poorly across the board with the 8th best batting average, 8th most runs, 9th most hits, 9th best on-base percentage, etc. With the departures of Addison Russell and Ha-seong Kim, the middle infield defense of the Heroes is in question for next season, and it will be interesting to see how Jokisch has to adjust to a new defensive cast behind him. Some of the best KBO players are from other parts of the world. As such, they won an automatic spot in the championship series where they swept the Kiwoom Heroes in four games. In addition to fielding Olympians, both leagues feature players that have the upside to be future Major League contributors. The LG Twins have been around since 1982 and have two Korean Series championships to their name, one in 1990 and one in 1994. The A's Signed the KBO's Best Starting Pitcher | FanGraphs Baseball The A's Signed the KBO's Best Starting Pitcher by Justin Choi December 23, 2022 John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports There. Despite the injury, Cho set career bests with 33 saves and a 2.15 ERA. non-Korean) players can be signed by any team (raised from two in 2014), though only two of these three can play in a given game. Its a league fueled by MLB-caliber players yearning to leave an impression, passionate fans, organizations hungry for championships and much more. Shortly after graduating high school, he debuted at the age of 18 with the KT Wiz, hitting 29 home runs en route to Rookie of the Year honors. The Aussie righty debuted for the Eagles last year with a 3.51 ERA, a 3.49 FIP and a 6.30 K/9 (remember, the league average ERA was 4.17 and K/9 was 7.3). Daegu is also known for its Buddhist landmarks, most notable of which is Gatbawi, which is one of the countrys largest tourist attractions, which attracts Buddhists from all over the world. Thats a huge success for the Heroes and as one of the youngest teams in the league marks them as a team to watch for years to come. Most Similar MLB Team: Washington Nationals. Sampson does not have as big a track record as Strailys, but is younger and likely has a higher KBO ceiling. In 2019, manager Kim Ki-tai resigned and was replaced by Park Heung-sik. by Handedness. The Samsung Lions are a former powerhouse that has fallen on tough times in recent years. Entering his age-33 season, it will be interesting to see how his defense holds up. Drew Rucinski (NC Dinos) The right-handed Rucinski is one of the older players on this list (only about a month younger than Straily), which may limit his contract options in the future, but he is nonetheless one of the best pitchers in the KBO. Their pitching can afford to take a step back, but their offense has to take a major step forward. Most people agree that starting pitchers play a vital role in baseball betting odds. Straily is entering his age-31 season, and could be primed to dominate the KBO, especially with a de-juiced ball. The Pitcher List staff brings you the definitive guide to the KBO. Club was founded in 1982 as the OB Bears, with the Oriental Brewery as their owners. He also has the most starting experience of the relievers, starting 20 of his 39 appearances for Kiwoom from 2018 to 2019, before being moved exclusively to the bullpen in 2020. Loading Catcher Player Stats. The NC Dinos, founded in 2011, were originally members of the Freedom Division of the Korea Baseball Futures League, which serves as a non-affiliated farm system for Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Last year, Chun-Woong Lee slashed .308/.378/.374 with two home runs, 88 runs, 48 RBI, and 21 stolen bases. and even whooped up on Tuckdori (but not on our precious DomDoml, Id commit crimes for that sweet robot child). The drop in velocity did allow Cho to deepen his repertoire, throwing more changeups which feature some fade away from lefties. Saupold has a four-pitch arsenal: a four-seamer (90-92 mph), cutter (87-89), curveball (79-81), and change-up (85-87). Their top pitcher is Aaron Brooks, who has a 2.76 ERA (7th in the KBO) and leads the KBO with an 11% hard-hit rate (among pitchers with at least 100 AB against them). Hes essentially an ideal lead-off hitter, with a batting average last year that was good for 11th-best in the KBO. All UZR (ultimate zone rating) calculations are provided courtesy of Mitchel Lichtman. Instead, he solved whatever pitching problems he had with brute force: Nothing to see here, folks. Only three foreign (i.e. What might have helped is that in Korea, he finally found an opportunity to make regular starts, allowing him to build his stamina over time. A good comp for Jun-woo is, ironically, South Korea native Shin-Soo Choo. Something changed, but what? Upon my first look at the park, it reminded me a little bit of a smaller version of Dodger Stadium. He seems to be an important part of Giants history, and his story deserves attention from all baseball fans. 2022 Player Stats. SUAREZ Albert (SAMSUNG) 2.49 5. He also added a splitter to give him a pitch in a different velocity range from his fastball and other offspeed pitches, though he didnt incorporate it until later in the year and only threw it a handful of times. His 7.39 K/9 and 2.61 BB/9 are typical of the KBO, and were really solid marks while his 0.28 HR/9 was unreal. I will be in Seoul for the weekend where the Giants vs Bears. Theres nothing quite like it. 34-year-old left fielder Jeon Jun-woo was their best hitter in 2019, posting 22 homers, an .840 OPS, and 3.84 WAR. He bounced around from the Rangers to the Cubs, back to the Rangers, then to the Pirates, before finally making his MLB debut in 2015 with the Braves. Having standout Korean pitchers on your staff can be an incredible advantage. Its worth noting that the Wyverns signed former major leaguer Nick Kingham for 2020. Or consider Chris Flexen, whom the Mariners decided to trust based on two-thirds of a season. Among KBO starters whove logged 500 or innings since his rookie season in 2019, heres how he ranks in several categories: As the As might have appreciated, Rucinski threw the most innings of any KBO starter over his four-year stretch of excellence. The Bears managed to eke past the Wyverns in the head to head season series 9-7, giving them the edge in the standings. Hes been pitching for the Lions since he was just 19 in 2007, and will be turning 33 in July. Youll also find resources for learning more about the KBO, information on where you can watch the games, a GIF randomizer to help you choose your favorite team, and more! The 36-year-old will be holding a lineup together featuring American Preston Tucker as the second-best hitter now. Their all-time winning percentage is .471, but they remain one of the most popular teams in the KBO. One of my favorite things about the Dinos is that they are the former employer ofEric Thames. The change will continue into 2020, meaning the glory days of bat flip artistry in the KBO may be a thing of the past (or perhaps, the increased rarity drives it to new heights). Kingham failed to deliver on his prospect hype in Pittsburgh, and was unimpressive in Toronto as well. If the Giants can load a solid defense behind him, he could end up being their best pitcher. Lively usually managed good strikeout rates during his time stateside, but walks were an issue, and what ultimately held him back as a pitcher. NC Dinos. First team to win the Pennant Race, Korean Series and Asian Series in the same year. Which catchers are best at stealing strikes. And for good reason! OF. He also dealt with a neck injury that sidelined him for two weeks early in the season, and was rested for the last two weeks of the season to prepare for the playoffs. He did so while routinely recording some of the best ERAs and FIPs in the league; Eric Jokisch and Casey Kelly occupy the top two spots for both metrics, but they dont have Rucinski beat by a large margin. Park Min-woo. Updated: Thursday, March 2, 2023 3:23 AM ET, Park Factors 2019 KBO: 2.50 ERA, 2.87 FIP, 194.0 IP, 24.5 K%, 3.8 BB% Lindblom has dominated the league for years, and won the best pitcher award again this year. Award winners [ edit] References [ edit] As an original team when the KBO League was founded in 1982, the Tigers had been in the playoffs in 10 of the 14 years, winning the championship seven times at that time. Dae-ho Lee was born in Busan, went to high school in Busan, and while in the KBO has only played for the Giants, who, as previously mentioned, are the only team that plays in Busan. in offense, but were also the third-best pitching team in the KBO, which fits nicely with the Rays balance of offense and pitching, even if the Rays arent quite as proficient on the offensive side of the ball. 2022 KBO Player Stats. 15. Another KBO standout has been Eric Jokisch of the Kiwoom Heroes, who is 5-1 with a 1.49 ERA. They both found themselves in their respective leagues championships in only their fourth year of existence, but the similarities dry up there. Its a fun team that seemingly uses every resource available to it to find success. Another player worth mentioning is Dixon Machado, who you might remember from his stint with the Tigers from 2015-2018. The team fired their manager, Han-so Kim, a longtime Lions player and coach who spent his entire baseball career as a Lion, both as a player and a coach, save for one season as a coach with Japans Yomiuri Giants, so this certainly wasnt an easy decision for the team to make. In 2019, their best pitcher was most likely Gwang hyun-Kim. Despite winning the inaugural championship of the KBO League, the Bears had only mediocre success for several decades after, winning twice more in 1995 and 2001. They have a strong and passionate fan base and I would know: Ive been one since I visited Gwangju in 1996 and had the good fortune to watch them play at Gwangju Mudeung Baseball Stadium. wRC+ or Weighted Runs Created Plus takes the statistic Runs Created and adjusts that number to account for critical external factors like ballpark or era. A few seasons later, if he discovered the strength needed to throw at an increased effort throughout an entire season, that would explain why his velocity has trended up, not down. for the latter part of his career. Just a 31-year-old pitcher upping his fastball velocity by a tick and a half by the time hes 34. The bullpen should be strong, too. Their position players only accumulated 6.57 WAR over the whole season. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Pitcher GIFS Inc. All Rights Reserved. Best Hitter: Ahn Chi-hong The club's "founding member" was Pud Galvin in 1888.Six pitchers entered the club in the 19th century, with a seventh joining in 1901.Early in the history of professional baseball, starting rotations of two men were commonplace, giving the best pitchers far more chances to earn wins than in today's game. But they took it a step further and named themselves the Wyverns, which is far superior and much cooler than your boring, run-of-the-mill, four-legged dragon. But then theres Chun-Woong Lee, who has absolutely no power to speak of, but can hit for a high average and is quite fast. They have won two championships (1984 and 1992) and have only made the playoffs six times since the turn of the century. Sign up today to get access to insightful analysis for the discerning baseball fan. But the comparisons dont stop there, and they are not all rosy. And yet he found success almost immediately upon his return to MLB and has continued to improve ever since. That made the Lotte Giants a perfect fit for my familiarity with thinking and writing about struggling teams. The KBO has a variety of additional rules that differentiate it from the MLB. He may project more as a reliever in the majors, but Rucinski could still put up some good years as a starter in Korea too. Won the first ever Korean baseball league championship. That brings us to yet another former major leaguer, reliever Jae-Hoon Ha. The Cardinals were swept in the 2019 NLCS by the eventual champion Nationals. Potential risk aside, Rucinski, by sharpening his command, adding velocity, and pitching deeper into games, blossomed into a viable big league starter. Both Gagnon (8.37 ERA, 8.96 FIP, 1.73 WHIP) and Flexen (6.59 ERA, 5.56 FIP, 2.05 WHIP . In addition, keep an eye on foreigners Chris Flexen (who pitched 68 innings in the majors for the Mets from 2017-19, but showed flashes of potential in the minors) and Raul Alcntara (who pitched to a 4.01 ERA for the KT Wiz in 2019 and was described as the KBOs Kyle Hendricks by Ben Clemens at FanGraphs), both signed by Doosan in the offseason. Brooks didnt have the strikeout numbers that Straily had, but he limited walks (only 24 allowed in 151 1/3 innings), throws harder (his fastball averaged just under 93 MPH) and is more than a year younger. His career high is just 133. They also lost starter Seth Frankoff, who had injury issues over the year but still put together a 3.61 ERA through 117.1 IP. He had nowhere to go but up. (Unofficial) KBO League stats, schedules, video links, live game day coverage and more. Loading 1B . So I scrapped the expansion team idea and came up with the St. Louis Cardinals. He signed with the Mariners in 2016, and despite relative success in the big leagues, he returned to the KBO, signing a four-year, $12.9M contract with his hometown Giants. While there is plenty of excellent food in any of the ballparks in Seoul, you can also bring food into any of the ballparks and Seoul is a treasure trove for good food. Each of our KBO picks will have a confidence rating alongside the analysis and pick. 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