During his time in Korea, Thames was referred to as God. From FanGraphs, Strailys slider was a positive pitch by run value in every season of his career until 2019, where it plummeted to 14.7 runs below average. Six teams were founded in 1982 for the first Korea Baseball Championship, known today as the KBO League. Thats the kind of power weve only seen out of the likes of Trout, Pujols, or Bonds. Twitch Play-by-play data prior to 2002 was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted Rucinski didnt hone his technique overnight, though. Koo Chang-mo, NC Dinos you picked as best pitcher was in the bullpen half the year, thats why innings so low. He rebounded from that rough stretch and finished the season with a 3.69 ERA in 97 2/3 innings, and should be a key member of the teams rotation moving forward. Below youll find a breakdown of all 10 teams including each teams best hitter, pitcher, some fun facts and MLB comps. This surely played a part in their struggles last season, and unfortunately for them, Ruf is no longer in the league, as he was attempting to make a major league return in 2020, signing a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants and was perhaps playing his way to a roster spot with a 1.469 OPS through 28 spring at-bats prior to the shutdown. Its one of my favorite stories in baseball. In 2019, the team finished with a 60-83 record, and eighth out of ten teams. Hyeon-jong started his career in 2007 at 19 years old, and has become the crafty lefty and leader of the Tigers pitching staff. 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. Personalized cheers for every single player and countless traditions that have spanned decades. In any case, the Wyverns and their fans are hoping for another excellent year out of their star third baseman. 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. The Dinos purportedly have a reputation as an analytic-friendly team. Former major leaguer Angel Sanchez also had a wonderful 2019 season, starting 28 games, good for 165 IP and a 2.62 ERA. KBO 2022 Standings Win Matrix Updated Oct 11, 2022 8:00am With a strong defense behind him (and Jokisch himself is no slouch, winning the Fielding Bible Award at pitcher), he was able to win the ERA title at 2.14. 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. Interest in former major leaguers in the KBO has spiked in recent years, and so have re-exports of these players back to the States. It also has new rules coming into place as early as next year that will increase the similarities with MLB. The matchup here is tough but Choi has been one of the more solid pitching options in the KBO over the past few seasons. In 2019 he posted a K/9 rate of just 4.7, which for context is nearly identical to Brett Andersons 4.6 mark last season in the majors. At the end of the day, the KBO is what we love: baseball. Lacking an offspeed pitch to help against lefties, Go started incorporating a cutter into his pitch mix in October, and relied on it during his two playoff appearances as well, throwing it in to jam lefties or to run away from righties. Of course, as an Indians fan, Ill take that type of struggling! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. So I scrapped the expansion team idea and came up with the St. Louis Cardinals. The deal worked out for both sides, as Straily was dominant and became the first KBO starter in eight years to reach the 200 strikeout mark, last accomplished by Hyun-jin Ryu in 2012. All seven of the top pitchers over the past three seasons were at least 6-foot-3, with only two of the top 14 (6-foot-2 Aaron Nola and 6-foot-1 Trevor Bauer) shorter than that. Montgomery was also part of the 2016 Cubs team that won the World Series. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. The soft-throwing lefty averages 89 on his fastball, and mixes in a knuckle-curve with late break, changeup and a slider that he can manipulate to add velocity and work as a cutter inside to righties. Most recently was in 2017, when they finished third in the league but lost in the first round to the NC Dinos. This pitcher would have a FIP of 3.56 (if we. Something fun about the Giants is they have Dae-ho Lee on their roster! Between 2005 and 2011, he never had an OPS below .800, and posted three seasons with an OPS above 1.000. However, he didnt look the same in 2020. 15. In October of 2019, the Eagles hired former Eagle Min-chul Jeong to be the teams new GM. Like all professional sports leagues, several teams have been founded, disbanded, moved, or completely reformed over the course of the leagues history. The fastball that used to average 95 was now topping out at 95 and averaging 92, which is a worrying drop. The park replaced Daegu Baseball Stadium, which was the home of the Lions since their inception in 1982, and sat just 5,000 fans. I cant help but root for this guy. To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. In most categories, however, they finished at the top (or very near it! As a contact-oriented pitcher Jokisch was at the mercy of his defense, and luckily for him the Heroes were the best defensive team in the KBO. While the slider performed better in the KBO, it is hard to tell how much better the pitch was. Will the power return? by Handedness. Sadly, the Eagles fell back to the bottom of the standings in 2019 (59-85), but there is hope on the horizon. Most of all, Rucinski, more often than any other KBO starter with a similar volume of work, found ways to strike hitters out. That means there are precedents we can consult. There are bat flips. 1 0. It doesnt seem like you need to be one of the very best KBO pitchers in order to thrive with a big league club. and play-by-play data provided by Sports Info Solutions. For many years, Korean baseball existed only as amateur teams and informal leagues, often playing against teams in the more reputable Japanese baseball scene. 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. The two of them are older sluggers who have aged quite gracefully and currently play for teams that have performed relatively poorly in recent years. Starting pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong () was the league MVP in 2017 and the league ERA leader in 2019. of coaching experience that has enshrined him in international baseball lore. Their last victory was in 2017. Regardless, 2019 was a year to forget for the Giants. Finally, the Lions home ballpark, Daegu Samsung Lions Park, opened for the 2016 season and seats 24,000. Both spent part of 2019 with the Baltimore Orioles (and both struggled), and they have similar pitch mixes as well, with a fastball, slider, changeup and a little-used curveball to round out the repertoire. You may remember Byung Ho Park from a few years ago (2016) when he came over to the majors with the Minnesota Twins. 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. Despite their 2019 record, the Giants seemed to be a little unlucky and should have performed better. A die-hard Orioles fan, Alex is well versed in futility and broken pitching prospects. A decline in velocity is inevitable, but it likely wont be a concern for the As while they have him. They were also one of the youngest teams in the league, which fits with the Rays focus on young players on controllable contracts. 2023 stats and schedules updated daily. He has only been a full-time starting pitcher for two seasons now. Strailys struggles in 2019 stemmed from his slider, which had been his go-to secondary pitch for his entire career, but lost its effectiveness in 2019. Even with the backing of Kia since 1995, they have only managed 10 playoff trips and four championships. He is 32 years old, but hes hard not to root for especially because he plays the game with the lightheartedness of players like Adrian Beltre: Chang-mo Koo stymied hitters to the tune of a 3.20 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 114 strikeouts over 107.0 innings. The Dinos finished in the top half in 2019, ranking fifth of 10 teams, going 73-69 (two ties). 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. He has not had a K rate above 20% at any level since 2012 in rookie ball. Both leagues will also be taking a break from mid-June through early August to allow players to represent their countries in the Olympics, which should result in both Japan and South Korea fielding competitive teams in the event. 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. In 2012, KBO approved the Dinos admission into the KBO, where they have played since 2013. As a contact-oriented pitcher Jokisch was at the mercy of his defense, and luckily for him the Heroes were the best defensive team in the KBO. Alcantara finished the 2020 season with a 20-2 record and 2.54 ERA, winning the Choi Dong-won award as the KBO's best pitcher, and if he can build on his success in Japan a return to the Majors may not be far off. Like the MLB, the KBO holds an All-Star Game partway through the season in July. At 22 years old, with four KBO seasons under his belt, Go is a player to watch down the road as a possible MLB bullpen arm. He does not have the swing-and-miss stuff like Bieber does, which is why he is not currently employed by a major league team. As mentioned earlier, the Wyverns were also swept in what is basically the KBO equivalent of the NLCS in 2019. Another player worth mentioning is Dixon Machado, who you might remember from his stint with the Tigers from 2015-2018. Updated: Thursday, March 2, 2023 3:23 AM ET, Park Factors He hung a lot of sliders in 2019, and he appeared to miss his spots with the pitch in 2020 as well. Upon returning to the KBO in 2018, though, he picked up right where he left off by blasting 43 home runs with an insane .345 AVG and 112 RBI in just 113 games. Last years KBO HR leader, Byung-Ho Park knocked 33 out; can Baek-ho Kang turn in a Yelich like season, keeping his .330 average but complementing it with league-leading pop? Its going to be a tough task to try and replace Rufs production, and while another former major leaguer, Tyler Saladino, has joined the team for 2020, he was more known for his defensive versatility than his bat during his time in the majors, so it seems that the Lions will need to look internally for other offensive contributors. Here are some important team pitching categories and rankings for the 2021 KBO season. The struggles continued, and he too was replaced after the season with 2014 National League Manager of the Year Matt Williams. (Seriously. He was born in 1982, which was the year the KBO was formed, and began playing for the Giants at age 19 in 2001. Team Information; Player Search; Scoreboard; Daily Schedule; Team Standings Something changed, but what? Between 2005 and 2011, he never had an OPS below .800, and posted three seasons with an OPS above 1.000. Their best starting pitcher in 2019 was Jung-hyun Baek, who had a 4.24 ERA in 28 games pitched and 157 innings. The difference in 2020 was that he didnt seem to miss belt high quite as much, and the hitters were more willing to chase it out of the zone, and miss it more frequently in the zone. The city also hosted three matches during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, in which South Korea shared host nation duties with Japan, with the South Korean team achieving their best-ever finish, finishing fourth in the tournament. As such, they won an automatic spot in the championship series where they swept the Kiwoom Heroes in four games. While he doesnt quite fit in with their youth movement, there is something to be said about having stability in the rotation, and Jung-hyun Baek should be able to provide that while the younger pitchers start to get their feet wet. In fact, they finished in last place in the KBO in each of their first three seasons, topping out at 53 wins in 2016. This was a difficult decision to make. Before we begin on the team breakdowns, lets break down the KBO as a league. The Most Disgusting MLB Pitches! Suwon, South Korea was previously home to the Hyundai Unicorns who were in the KBO from 1989 to 2007. the championship series of the league) in the last five years, winning three of the five, including last year. Its almost like theres a reason he received one of the largest free agent contracts in the history of the KBO. Originally the Binggrae Eagles, they changed their name to the Hanwha Eagles in 1993. The Snakes simply havent had the sustained success that the Wyverns have. 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. 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. And though he showed some promise in 2020, a series of disastrous relief outings coupled with injuries the following season made any chance of him sticking in the Brewers rotation kaput. You also have his name wrong. Chang-mo Koo (NC Dinos) The left-handed Koo dominated in the first half of last season in the KBO with a 9-0 record and 1.74 ERA, and since the KBO was the first league to get underway in 2020 he received international attention for his dominance. In 2019, their best pitcher was most likely Gwang hyun-Kim. Last year, Chun-Woong Lee slashed .308/.378/.374 with two home runs, 88 runs, 48 RBI, and 21 stolen bases. The bullpen should be strong, too. Recently, theyve traded power for speed and aggression on the base paths. Sill only 28, Kingham will look to reinvent himself in Korea, and has been named the Wyverns Opening Day starter. some typos there..bibimap->bibimbap. in the league but lost in the first round to the NC Dinos. Doesnt hurt that theyre shaping up to have what will be one of the more dominant pitching staffs in the KBO, too. On my first trip, a work colleague pointed at my Cleveland Indians hat then pointed to his Tigers hat and said, I take you. Tigers fans are some of the most passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans I have ever met, and even in Northeast Ohio, it is not uncommon to see a Kia Tigers hat from time to time and share a few kind words.

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