The Eagles have three retired numbers, more than any other team in the league. 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. The franchise is less than a decade old and has played just five seasons in the KBO. 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. Kingham failed to deliver on his prospect hype in Pittsburgh, and was unimpressive in Toronto as well. Maddux is one of the most unique pitchers of all the greats. Sign up today to get access to insightful analysis for the discerning baseball fan. He then spent the 2016 season still as a position player with NPBs Yakult Swallows for a brief 17 games. Another KBO standout has been Eric Jokisch of the Kiwoom Heroes, who is 5-1 with a 1.49 ERA. Let's dive into the day's best bets. Even with the backing of Kia since 1995, they have only managed 10 playoff trips and four championships. The owners of the team also own KT Rolster, one of the worlds top Starcraft e-sports teams. In 2019, right-handed pitchers Drew Gagnon and Chris Flexen both spent time in the Majors with the New York Mets. They were also one of the youngest teams in the league, which fits with the Rays focus on young players on controllable contracts. Between relaxing on the sofa and reading up on Drew Rucinski, deciding on which is the more appealing option doesnt seem like a difficult task. This was a difficult decision to make. Theres been a lot of drama, too, involving a top free agent, a medical issue, and boatloads of cash. 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. KIM Kwang Hyun (SSG) 2.13 3. Will the power return? Their last victory was in 2017. Batters. A few years later, the Bears moved to Seoul, where theyve remained ever since, sharing their home stadium with another of the inaugural six (the LG Twins), establishing what is possibly the leagues biggest rivalry. That type of control is comparable to Indians ace Shane Bieber. He ended the season with a 15-4 record, 2.50 ERA in 194.2 innings and a 4-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio. Being an Angels, Nets, and Chargers fan, I have become quite familiar with disappointment. Its been an exhausting year, and wed all like to get on with our lives. Both Gagnon (8.37 ERA, 8.96 FIP, 1.73 WHIP) and Flexen (6.59 ERA, 5.56 FIP, 2.05 WHIP . Updated: Thursday, March 2, 2023 3:23 AM ET, Park Factors The Tigers, despite their success, were a team that often financially struggled. The Bears managed to eke past the Wyverns in the head to head season series 9-7, giving them the edge in the standings. 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. but 2020 is shaping up to be a much-improved season. I did notice that the quality of his strikes improved, but it isnt measurable using publicly available data on Korean baseball. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. They were nearly the top of their 10-team class in 2019, but have lost some very important players in Angel Sanchez and Gwang hyun-Kim. In his time since returning, he has home run totals of 34, 37, and 16. 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. Yang Hyeon-jong ( Hangul: , Hanja: ) (born March 1, 1988) is a Korean professional baseball pitcher for the Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). In 2012, KBO approved the Dinos admission into the KBO, where they have played since 2013. Erik Halterman breaks down Game 3 of the Korean Series, one which features the KBO's best pitcher in his first start back from shoulder fatigue. Youre hoping that hell adjust to a much higher level of competition in a relatively short period of time. The KBO League Kia Tigers (KIA ) are based in Gwangju. Straily will return to Lotte again in 2021, and if he can demonstrate improved slider command he could be in line for a big league deal before long. One of the factors you need to consider when betting on Korea Baseball Organization games is the starting pitcher. The good news? Earlier today, we took a look at some of the best and worst hitting performances from the first month of the KBO season. However, while the MLB has been making changes to increase offense, the KBO is doing the opposite. Theirs is an organization filled with a rich history. Among these young studs is CF Lee Jung-hoo, the reigning KBO MVP has expressed his desire to be posted by the Kiwoom Heroes after the 2023 season, joining Kim and others . Five players to watch in the KBO playoffs . Just a 31-year-old pitcher upping his fastball velocity by a tick and a half by the time hes 34. 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. 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). At the time, he was around the same age as Rucinski is now, with a similar reputation for providing clean innings in bulk. the championship series of the league) in the last five years, winning three of the five, including last year. Heres a look at some pitchers from the KBO who could find their way to MLB teams in the coming years. 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. Still struggling with what team you would like to support? Loading Pitcher Player Stats. They were the first Korean baseball team to advance to the playoffs three years in a row, were an integral part of the national team that reached the WBC final four in 2006, and produced the first ever KBO player to go directly to the MLB: Hyun-jin Ryu. Whether you favor bulgogi (Korean BBQ), bibimbap, or the best kimchi youll ever have, there is a wide variety of fantastic food options to choose from in Seoul, and thats before you even get to the expansive selection of street food options you can find outside the ballpark. All UZR (ultimate zone rating) calculations are provided courtesy of Mitchel Lichtman. 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. The city is the home of electronics giant Samsung, which also explains the team name. Between 2005 and 2011, he never had an OPS below .800, and posted three seasons with an OPS above 1.000. Now, we move on to the pitchers. Just two years removed from a championship, the Tigers decided to make some changes during the season and after. As mentioned earlier, the Wyverns were also swept in what is basically the KBO equivalent of the NLCS in 2019. 4, maybe a no. In 2012, he went to play in the JPL (Japanese Pacific League) where he won two championships while posting solid numbers. He might be less but they dont really have a lot to lose. His next quest applying what hes learned overseas in a familiar yet new environment will be his most ambitious to date. There are quite a number of established players on the team, including one of the best pitchers and hitters in the league. One of my favorite things about the Dinos is that they are the former employer ofEric Thames. Take Merrill Kelly for example, whos serving as the de facto ace for the rebuilding Diamondbacks. The walks didnt return in 2019, but he still slashed an impressive .305/.382/.395. KBO Schedule & Statistics by MyKBO.net | MyKBO Stats MyKBO Stats KBO Schedules, Video Links, Live Game Day Coverage, Statistics and More Today's KBO Games No games today. Except for the NC Dinos, who saw a 60% boost. With the KBO de-juicing the ball in 2019, Yang Hyeon-jong had his best season since his MVP year. A total of 16 of 30 foreign players stayed in the KBO this year, one more than last year. Jeong and Romak led the team with 29 home runs apiece, fairly impressive given the fact that power seems to be down across the league due to changes made to the ball. Its almost like theres a reason he received one of the largest free agent contracts in the history of the KBO. He also cut his strikeout rate from 21.2% to 17.2%, and raised his walk rate from 8.9% to 12.1%. The belief is that his work in his former role as the leader of the teams data analysis should give him a good understanding of the teams players and put them in a position to succeed, which shouldnt be a foreign concept to fans of Major League Baseball. Their small gamble of two years and $4.75 million paid off instantly with his first year in Seattle, as he became the fifth starter the team needed. Yes. Their top three instantly becomes one of the best in the league come playoff time. While only a decent source of power, the 32-year-old should remain a reliable source of hits in 2020, alongside stellar plate discipline, boasting an 8.4% strikeout rate and a 9.5% walk rate in 2019. Other sources of offense for the 2020 Bears include their primary power source Jae Il Oh (leading the 2019 roster with 102 RBI, .495 SLG, and 21 HR, all of which rank in the top 10 of the league) and 2018 MVP Jae Hwan Kim, though he seems unlikely to repeat his three-year run from 2016-2018 where he assembled a 1.000+ OPS each season. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. 2023 stats and schedules updated daily. This stretch included two Korean Triple Crowns (2006 and 2010) and an MVP in 2010. 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. Sanchez bounced around five different MLB farm systems before coming over to the KBO in 2018. Regardless, he was a top-20 pitcher by WAR, despite pitching significantly fewer innings than all pitchers above him. He missed a couple of months with a forearm injury last year, and his velocity wasnt quite back when he returned, although he was able to ramp up in time to pitch in the Korean Series and make two starts, winning Game 5. Hes been pitching for the Lions since he was just 19 in 2007, and will be turning 33 in July. Their pitching can afford to take a step back, but their offense has to take a major step forward. Lively is a pitcher who can certainly thrive in the KBO, as his good strikeout rates from his minor-league career did translate well to the KBO, with a 9.2 K/9 rate in his brief sample for the Lions. If you feel really adventurous, there are markets everywhere, and in particular, the Namdaemun Market is the oldest market in Seoul and covers 66,000 square meters! KPH to MPH (trust me, it will help during broadcasts) 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 addition, the Heroes finished first 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. This is a young team on the rise; in 2019, the Wiz had the third-youngest lineup and the youngest pitching staff in the KBO. In fact, they finished in last place in the KBO in each of their first three seasons, topping out at 53 wins in 2016. A return to his pre-2019 performance would make him a fine replacement for Ruf, and once again become an anchor for this lineup. Kiwoom would eventually go on to be swept themselves in the Korean Series by Doosan. In the playoffs, games have a 15-inning limit. If Jokisch can continue to find success, and stay healthy (he dealt with a minor shoulder injury last year) he could find his way back to the Majors as teams are always looking for left-handed pitchers. Min-ho Lee definitely has potential, with a fastball that averages around 90 MPH (and can touch 94) and has a deep repertoire including a cutter, curve, splitter, and slider. The drop in velocity did allow Cho to deepen his repertoire, throwing more changeups which feature some fade away from lefties. The Lotte Giants are located in Busan (the second-largest city in South Korea) and are one of the original KBO teams. Eric Jokisch (Kiwoom Heroes) Eric Jokisch can seem like a pitcher from another era. Baseball-Reference Really enjoyed opening day (night). Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. The Dinos have an assemblage of talent on their team perhaps led by Eui-ji Yang. He made his MLB debut with Texas in 2021. Finally, in that same year, they also brought out Tuckdori, who was a former mascot years ago. Will he steal bases? Something fun about the Giants is they have Dae-ho Lee on their roster! 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. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. Straily has trouble keeping the ball out of the air, but KBO hitters might adjust to the de-juice ball by trying to put the ball in play as opposed to the MLB style of swinging for the fences. 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. They have won two championships (1984 and 1992) and have only made the playoffs six times since the turn of the century. The eight best pitchers in the KBO native to Korea. Min-ho Lee (LG Twins) At this point in the list of pitchers, we are starting to look at pitchers who have potential, but still need to prove that they deserve a chance to pitch at the MLB level. He was born in 1982, which was the year the KBO was formed, and began playing for the Giants at age 19 in 2001. He has only been a full-time starting pitcher for two seasons now. 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. Sadly, the Eagles fell back to the bottom of the standings in 2019 (59-85), but there is hope on the horizon. 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. While teams are typically named after their sponsoring corporation rather than their home city, local pride plays a huge role in sports fandom. 17 of his 25 appearances this season have come out of the bullpen, but his overall numbers are solid. Dan Straily (Lotte Giants) The Lotte Giants made a bit of a gamble last year on Dan Straily, as he was coming off a terrible 2019 MLB season, and they signed him to the max contract that a foreign player can sign in their first year in the KBO, at one year for $1 million. KBO starting pitchers are some of the best in the world and can make a huge difference in a game's outcome. A salary cap will go into effect in 2023. This stretch included two Korean Triple Crowns (2006 and 2010) and an MVP in 2010. 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. You may remember Byung Ho Park from a few years ago (2016) when he came over to the majors with the Minnesota Twins. by Handedness. This immediately made me think of the Detroit Tigers. 1 0. The best case scenario is a no. The LG Twins have been around since 1982 and have two Korean Series championships to their name, one in 1990 and one in 1994. SUAREZ Albert (SAMSUNG) 2.49 5. Their position players only accumulated 6.57 WAR over the whole season. so many quotables. His 9.59 K/9 led the league, but his 3.80 FIP suggests he benefited from some good fortune on the year. When he returned to the MLB, he had one of the most ridiculous Aprils in recent memory (.345/.466/.810, 11 home runs), before essentially becoming a solid platoon bat. 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. 1:13 Former MLB pitcher Mike Montgomery, who was a reliever on the Chicago Cubs' 2016 World Series team, threw a rosin bag at an umpire after he was tossed from a KBO game on Friday. but was at his best last season, putting together a 2.29 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 184.2 innings. The 36-year-old will be holding a lineup together featuring American Preston Tucker as the second-best hitter now. A die-hard Orioles fan, Alex is well versed in futility and broken pitching prospects. 15. Moon Kyeong Chan () stepped in as the closer last year and saved 24 games while compiling a 1.31 ERA. First team to win the Pennant Race, Korean Series and Asian Series in the same year. Their analytics department may not be the best. In 2019, they were ranked as the second most-popular team, but they were only one percent behind the Hanwha Eagles. In 2019 with the Cubs, he posted a 107 wRC+ in Triple-A, and could end up being the best position player on the Giants at only 28 years old. Also on the roster is former major leaguer Ben Lively, who joined the Lions for 57 innings in 2019, and will return for the 2020 season. The Giants bolstered their rotation prior to the 2020 season by adding Adrian Sampson (Rangers, 2019) and Dan Straily (Seemingly every MLB team). To compare his success in the KBO, Zack. He posted a 9.45 ERA over 13.1 IP and decided to take things to the peninsula, signing a one-year deal with the Wiz this past December. There a few options here but its tough to not go with the guy who has hit over .300 for 10 consecutive seasons. While the KBO is known as a more offensive league, it's still had its fair share of excellent pitchers. The Cardinals were swept in the 2019 NLCS by the eventual champion Nationals. Full access to this article is for Baseball Prospectus subscribers. He threw only 93 regular season innings in 2020. OF. Despite the injury, Cho set career bests with 33 saves and a 2.15 ERA. In 2012, he went to play in the JPL (Japanese Pacific League) where he won two championships while posting solid numbers. Brooks' teammate, Ki-young Im, ranks fourth in the league in that stat at 13%. . Expectations are clearly high for the Doosan Bears going into 2020. Won the first ever Korean baseball league championship. Originally, the Eagles were known for their sluggers. by Handedness, The As Signed the KBOs Best Starting Pitcher, JAWS and the 2023 Hall of Fame Ballot: Omar Vizquel, Reds Awaken with Trio of Pre-Christmas Transactions. Museums, palaces, temples, monuments, and numerous parks paint a wonderful picture of Seoul as a center for culture and sports. Since then, South Korea and its major professional league, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) have become important sources of talent for major league clubs. Doesnt hurt that theyre shaping up to have what will be one of the more dominant pitching staffs in the KBO, too. The Dinos purportedly have a reputation as an analytic-friendly team. Have five distinct fan event days: Bears Day, general fan appreciation; Queens Day, female fans appreciation day; Players Day, players wear franchises original jersey; Mr. Doo Day, male fans appreciation day; and Workers Day, customized event for salaried workers. In the past, it has hosted the 1988 Olympic Games, was a 2002 host city for the World Cup, and is the home of the world headquarters for Taekwando, South Koreas national sport. Sill only 28, Kingham will look to reinvent himself in Korea, and has been named the Wyverns Opening Day starter. Despite their 2019 record, the Giants seemed to be a little unlucky and should have performed better. (Seriously. Finally, the Lions home ballpark, Daegu Samsung Lions Park, opened for the 2016 season and seats 24,000. Saupold has a four-pitch arsenal: a four-seamer (90-92 mph), cutter (87-89), curveball (79-81), and change-up (85-87). KBO picks and predictions Sunday's five-game slate will feature some of the top pitchers in the entire KBO. 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. Jeong led the team in both OBP (.399), and SLG (.519), while his .292 AVG trailed only the .323 clip of Jong-Wook Ko. Choi Hyeong-Woo, while having a drop in his numbers, still managed a .300/.412/.485 slash line, with 17 home runs, 86 RBI, and about 4.5 WAR. 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. Only two pitchers for the Eagles threw over 150 IP in 2019: Chad Bell (177.1) and Warwick Saupold (192.1). If a postseason game ends in an official tie, it essentially does not count, and is replayed in full. 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. Losing out first place to Doosan proved quite important. DraftKings KBO: Korean Series Game 2 Cheat Sheet Erik Halterman breaks down Game 2 of the Korean Series between the Bears and Wiz. 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! In 2019, the Samsung Lions were seventh out of ten teams in runs scored at 4.32 runs per game. According to an article from the Yonhap News Agency in March of 2019. , the Giants topped Gallup popularity polls from 2008-2013 and appeared back on top in 2018. and even whooped up on Tuckdori (but not on our precious DomDoml, Id commit crimes for that sweet robot child). Major League and Minor League Baseball data provided by Major League Baseball. 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. They had the lowest weighted on-base average (wOBA) in the KBO. In 2019, he led the league with 36 saves while posting a 9.8 K/9 and a 1.98 ERA. Quote Tweet. His previous work can be found at Prospects365 and Dodgers Digest. Alas, the Wyverns will also be without him in 2020, as he secured a contract with the Yomiuri Giants of Japans NPB. AN Woo Jin (KIWOOM) 15 4. 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. Paint a wonderful picture of Seoul as a center for culture and sports and was in... Theirs is an Organization filled with a 15-4 record, 2.50 ERA in 194.2 innings and a 4-to-1 to. Bests with 33 saves and a 2.15 ERA season still as a position player with NPBs Yakult Swallows a! Played since 2013 while posting a 9.8 K/9 and a 2.15 ERA Bears managed to past. Analysis for the 2016 season still as a position player with NPBs Yakult Swallows a... 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