The most recent winner is Lee Jung-hoo of the Kiwoom Heroes. Cho has seven years in the KBO already, so he could be posted as soon as next off-season, but I doubt the market would favor a reliever with a 30-day negotiation window as dictated by the posting system. Sampson does not have as big a track record as Strailys, but is younger and likely has a higher KBO ceiling. However, he didnt look the same in 2020. The Kiwoom Heroes share their home base of Seoul with the Doosan Bears and the LG Twins. 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. The bad news: Since 2008, the Eagles have only qualified for the playoffs once. In 2019, the Bears best pitcher was undoubtedly Josh Lindblom, who won the Choi Dong-won award (the KBOs Cy Young equivalent) in both 2018 and 2019, and took home the league MVP in 2019 with league-leading numbers in wins, strikeouts, WHIP, K/BB, and opponent AVG, and finishing second in ERA on the season. Thanks for putting together. Matt Williams does not have a bare cupboard. Another KBO standout has been Eric Jokisch of the Kiwoom Heroes, who is 5-1 with a 1.49 ERA. Eno Sarris write-up & C. Trent Rosecrans write-up via The Athletic 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. When he last appeared in a major league game, he was a lackluster middle reliever for the Marlins. Itll be interesting to see if he can revitalize his game like so many former MLB-players before him. Hes a guy whose best pitch is a major-league average fastball with an okay curveball. Callis: Julio Rodriguez, OF, Mariners (2021 age: 20) Eddie Plank (230 WSAB/361 WS): Eddie Plank takes us back to the Mathewson erahe was the A's great lefthander before Grove. Loading Catcher Player Stats. It also has new rules coming into place as early as next year that will increase the similarities with MLB. His less serious work can be found on Twitter @justinochoi. NPB is starting up the earliest, on March 26, while the KBO is starting their season about a week later, on April 3. His slider was an asset in 2020 for Lotte however, and his 36% slider usage in the KBO was higher than his slider usage was in any of his previous MLB seasons. Regardless, 2019 was a year to forget for the Giants. Even if he does, the upside isnt much; you dont show interest in a KBO pitcher in hopes of adding an ace. Apple, the Apple logo, and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. You may remember Byung Ho Park from a few years ago (2016) when he came over to the majors with the Minnesota Twins. And for good reason! 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. AN Woo Jin (KIWOOM) 2.11 2. 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. The fastball that used to average 95 was now topping out at 95 and averaging 92, which is a worrying drop. The Eagles attempted 156 stolen bases in 2019 second in the KBO although their success rate was just 67%, second-lowest in the KBO. and play-by-play data provided by Sports Info Solutions. Kakao (May require a VPN). In 2019, the Giants struggled in all areas of the game. Having standout Korean pitchers on your staff can be an incredible advantage. 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. DraftKings KBO: Korean Series Game 1 Cheat Sheet Ruf was definitely the anchor of the Lions lineup last year, as the teams next best hitter, Ja-wook Koo, had a .771 OPS. While the Heroes were the top offensive team in the league in 2019, the Bears were probably the next best, finishing in second in runs scored with 736 (over five runs per game) due in part to their league-leading .355 OBP, and in spite of their bottom-half power numbers. Each stadium has a speciality food associated with cheering. KBO 2023 scoreboard - scores, standings, results Baseball South Korea KBO 2023 Summary Results Fixtures Standings Archive Scheduled SOUTH KOREAKBO Standings Apr 01 05:00 AM Doosan Bears Lotte Giants - - Apr 01 05:00 AM Kiwoom Heroes Hanwha Eagles - - Apr 01 05:00 AM KT Wiz Suwon LG Twins - - Apr 01 05:00 AM Samsung Lions NC Dinos - - Apr 01 This section will be updated periodically as there seem to be more outlets offering streaming services by the day. He had nowhere to go but up. A decline in velocity is inevitable, but it likely wont be a concern for the As while they have him. While the slider performed better in the KBO, it is hard to tell how much better the pitch was. Lotte has seen much less recent success than San Francisco, but in terms of current expectations and outlook, the two seem mighty familiar. 15. Attendance was down for virtually every club in 2019. Over 177.1 innings, Rucinski posted a 3.05 ERA and 3.6 WAR (good for 12th in the KBO) with an approach that hinges on a pitch-to-contact approach that is popular in the KBO. In his first three appearances following the injury he gave up 6 runs (4 earned) in just 1 1/3 innings and allowed a run in 5 of his first 7 appearances off the injured list. Instead, he solved whatever pitching problems he had with brute force: Nothing to see here, folks. Also on the roster and making his return to the KBO and the Lions is former major leaguer Seung-hwan Oh. The As guaranteeing Rucinski just $3 million*, in my humble opinion, is a bona fide steal. During his time as a relief pitcher, he frequently had strikeout-per-nine rates pushing double digits, but as expected, as a starter those numbers have dropped. If Nick Kingham can fill the void they left, they could compete once again, but that remains to be seen. Last season, their best hitter was a player with Major League experience in Darin Ruf. 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. Finally, the Hanwha Eagles, who continued their decades-long slump in 2020, only re-signed pitcher Nick Kingham. 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. The Bears had a top tier pitching staff as well, though like their lack of offensive power, they had a remarkably un-flashy lack of strikeouts, ending up in ninth place in total strikeouts. The Dinos are unique in that they are a newer team, but their owner Kim Taek-jin is the founder of NCSoft, which allows them to be active in courting marquee free agents. He received his masters in interactive telecommunications from NYU's ITP. 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. Now, lets talk about the Eagles. Entering his age-38 season and the final year of his contract, this could be the end for the veteran. In 2019 the Wyverns posted an 88-55 (.615 win percentage) which was good for the best in the league, tied with their main rivals and eventual 2019 champion Doosan Bears. Only three foreign (i.e. The Lions home city is Daegu, which is the fourth-largest city in South Korea, and has the third-largest metropolitan area in the country with over 2.5 million residents. Best Hitter: Ahn Chi-hong The team should be more interesting than in years past as they start to filter in younger players that fans can hopefully see develop in front of their own eyes. Brooks will turn 31 in April which means his window of opportunity is not large, but another strong performance in the KBO could give him a chance to return to the Majors, either as a back-end starter or possibly as a reliever. With some exceptions, they are each fixtures in their respective leagues playoffs. 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. The bullpen should be strong, too. Woo-suk Go (LG Twins) Go (or Ko, depending on your source) has the typical fastball-slider combination that is common among relievers, and his fastball sat at 94 MPH, and touched 97 last year. largest in the world with over 9.7 million people) and is the capital city of South Korea. 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. 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. Entering his age-38 season and the final year of his contract, this could be the end for the veteran. All major league baseball data including pitch type, velocity, batted ball location, That brings us to yet another former major leaguer, reliever Jae-Hoon Ha. Sadly, the Eagles fell back to the bottom of the standings in 2019 (59-85), but there is hope on the horizon. Some scouting work and stats for Chang-Mo Koo, Dan Straily, Aaron Brooks and others who could stand out in 2021. The Pitcher List staff brings you the definitive guide to the KBO. Award winners [ edit] References [ edit] DH. C. 1B. Theirs is an organization filled with a rich history. Maddux is one of the most unique pitchers of all the greats. Hes been pitching for the Lions since he was just 19 in 2007, and will be turning 33 in July. 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. 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. He was born in 1982, which was the year the KBO was formed, and began playing for the Giants at age 19 in 2001. In his time since returning, he has home run totals of 34, 37, and 16. The Tigers, despite their success, were a team that often financially struggled. His numbers were affected by the de-juicing of the ball, but before that, he was in the position to take the best hitter title from Choi Hyeong-Woo (). They easily could have named themselves the Dragons and called it a day. Museums, palaces, temples, monuments, and numerous parks paint a wonderful picture of Seoul as a center for culture and sports. A club legend while playing for the Wyverns from 2007-19, he made the transition to the US prior to the 2020 season. *Note: Theres a $5 million club option for 2024. One of the factors you need to consider when betting on Korea Baseball Organization games is the starting pitcher. That means there are precedents we can consult. 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. with enough epic bat flips to make your head explode with pure unadulterated baseball joy: I remember being so incredibly excited to see this bat-tossing machine take the U.S. by storm, but unfortunately, recognizing the lameness that permeates American baseball, we never got the bat flips that were promised. 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. Like the AL, the KBO employs a DH instead of requiring pitchers to bat. While the Eagles have been to the Korean Series six times, theyve only won once (1999). This immediately made me think of the Detroit Tigers. Sortable, downloadable KBO player stats for the 2022 season. Regardless, he was a top-20 pitcher by WAR, despite pitching significantly fewer innings than all pitchers above him. Sang-woo Cho (Kiwoom Heroes) When I first saw Sang-woo Cho (also listed as Jo) pitch in 2019, he seemed to be MLB ready and the stats backed it up. All UZR (ultimate zone rating) calculations are provided courtesy of Mitchel Lichtman. If three or more teams tie for first, the regular-season champion is decided by head-to-head record. Hes bringing change to an organization that is hungry to get their team back to their winning ways. Minor League Leaders AAA: Triple-A East, Triple-A . MLB fans will recognize Despaignes unique name, but he left behind forgettable performances on the hill outside of a strong rookie campaign in San Diego. MLB fans will recognize Despaignes unique name, but he left behind forgettable performances on the hill outside of a strong rookie campaign in San Diego. 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