There are several reasons why SSG was able to achieve the great feat of winning the ‘Wire to Wire’ last year despite various difficulties. Even in the hurdles, the pillars of the starters endured without major ups and downs, and there were few long losing streaks. The other line was strong in the game, and the team was strong in the game with only one point. I was able to keep first place in the regular season by following basic skills and a little luck.
The odds of winning by 1 point are actually unpredictable. There may be a basic win rate depending on the team’s strength, but the final win rate does not necessarily follow the basic strength. There is a lot of running around every year. Veteran batting line has a lot of constants, so it is stable, but on the contrary, it also means that there is little room for a bigger rise. So what is more important for SSG in 2023 is the starting lineup. In a 144-game long race, there can be no two consecutive victories without a strong starting rotation.
There are also variables in the starting lineup. First of all, both foreign players were changed. Wilmer Font and Sean Moriman, who won the Korean Series last year, are all missing. Font, who had a special ace-level performance, had a strong personal intention to re-challenge in the United States. Morimando, who played a huge role in SSG’s lead in the second half, gave up on renewing the contract after the sluggish Korean Series became an obstacle.
Instead, he bet on the game by signing two left-handers, Eni Romero and Kirk McCarty. Romero was a pitcher who threw fastballs reaching 160 km/h while playing in the bullpen in the major leagues. He has dropped a lot of his speed now, but he still averaged 148 km on his four-seam fastball last year and topped it at 154 km. His career in Japanese professional baseball is also not bad, and SSG expects him to be a foreign ace. To be honest, it is a substitute for fonts.
McCarty’s career isn’t anything special. Instead, he throws an explosive ball averaging in the mid/high 140s for his small frame. He is still young, so he has a lot of potential for growth in the future. When selecting foreign players, current skills, experience, age, and future potential are always looked at equally, but McCarty sees it as a pentagonal card that can capture all aspects. Inside SSG, there is a conviction that “Morimando is a better pitcher.” 헤라카지노
Looking at the trend of foreign players in the KBO League, lefties with a certain pitch have a strong tendency to play ‘basic’. In fact, some of the players who came in as substitute foreign players last year performed well, and the players who were brought in as a temporary measure in a hurry also achieved better grades than expected. In this trend, it is likely that Romeo and McCarty, who can throw 150 km at any time, have calculated that the possibility of a complete failure is small.
SSG already has a fast-throwing lefty starting pitcher. This is Kim Gwang-hyun, a native ace. Last year, the percentage of breaking balls increased somewhat, but when sticking with power, the speed was raised and the ball was thrown in the middle and latter half of the 140km range. At the time of last December, Kim Gwang-hyun also showed subtle confidence, saying, “Comparing his shoulder condition at this time in the last 6 years, this year is the best.” He is determined to prepare for a power showdown at any time by improving the speed of his fastball as well as improving his breaking ball.
Moon Seung-won, who is expected to return to the starting rotation this year after an elbow surgery rehabilitation season, is also a fast-paced player. When he played in the bullpen last year, he threw a ball in the late 140km range, suggesting the possibility that the restraint itself would rise more than before the surgery. Park Jong-hoon is not a fast pitcher, but he is a starting pitcher who has won double-digit wins three times with the unique advantage of a submarine. A lefty with high potential for growth, Oh Won-seok, is also predicting a speedup. If the starting lineup endures, there is a high possibility that SSG’s stronghold will not collapse easily.