Team Information; Player Search; Scoreboard; Daily Schedule; Team Standings Losing out first place to Doosan proved quite important. We can first consider Rucinskis on-field contributions. Eddie Plank (230 WSAB/361 WS): Eddie Plank takes us back to the Mathewson erahe was the A's great lefthander before Grove. 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. for the latter part of his career. The American was great in his first season, recording a 3.13 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP, and his performance in 2020 was even better. Most Similar MLB Team: San Francisco Giants. The bashing Dinos had their KBO-best 15th multihomer game Sunday; they are 15-0 in those affairs. Except for the NC Dinos, who saw a 60% boost. KELLY Casey (LG) 16 2. In his 29 starts, he was 16-8, with a 2.29 ERA, 165 strikeouts, 32 walks, and 7.4 WAR. In the regular season, all games have a 12-inning limit. 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. An inauspicious end to a great campaign for the SK Wyverns, but hope remains. Some scouting work and stats for Chang-Mo Koo, Dan Straily, Aaron Brooks and others who could stand out in 2021. 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. In most categories, however, they finished at the top (or very near it! The team as a collective posted a .488 SLG in 1999, which is the highest in KBO history, and earned them the nickname the Dynamite Bats (this is also a nod to the Hanwha conglomerates main business: explosives production). At 26 years old, Cho has time to build up his stock, and hopefully regain some of his velocity along the way. Earlier today, we took a look at some of the best and worst hitting performances from the first month of the KBO season. Last season, the Lions were the third-worst team in terms of runs allowed per game, giving up 5.08 per game. 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. 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. KBO starting pitchers are some of the best in the world and can make a huge difference in a game's outcome. 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. FIP or Fielding Independent Pitching measures what a pitcher's ERA would look like if the pitcher experienced league-average defense and luck. While he once sported an elite 17% BB rate, Tae-kyun Kim was only able to play a total of 167 games between the 2017 and 2018 seasons. 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. He even tacked on 40 stolen bases in 2015, just for good measure. Jokisch pitches to contact, and over his two years in the KBO he has had strikeout rates under 20% (less than 7 K/9) and a walk rate under 5% (under 2 BB/9). They finished tenth in the league in hits allowed, ninth in earned runs, walks, and WHIP. some typos there..bibimap->bibimbap. . 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. Sadly, the Eagles fell back to the bottom of the standings in 2019 (59-85), but there is hope on the horizon. Moon Kyeong Chan () stepped in as the closer last year and saved 24 games while compiling a 1.31 ERA. Hi all! The Bears also have two strong relievers who split saves nearly evenly in 2019: righty Hyoung Beom Lee, who finished with a strong 2.66 ERA, and lefty Deok Ju Ham, who notched a powerful 7.9 K/9 in 2019. Their best starting pitcher in 2019 was Jung-hyun Baek, who had a 4.24 ERA in 28 games pitched and 157 innings. Only two pitchers for the Eagles threw over 150 IP in 2019: Chad Bell (177.1) and Warwick Saupold (192.1). Between 2005 and 2011, he never had an OPS below .800, and posted three seasons with an OPS above 1.000. (Unofficial) KBO League stats, schedules, video links, live game day coverage and more. Jeon Jun-woo was a sensation for the Giants the previous year, when he recorded 33 homers, a .992 OPS, and 5.9 WAR. Like the AL, the KBO employs a DH instead of requiring pitchers to bat. 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. Originally the Binggrae Eagles, they changed their name to the Hanwha Eagles in 1993. 2B. Former Atlanta Brave Julio Franco was once a Samsung Lion. In 2019, right-handed pitchers Drew Gagnon and Chris Flexen both spent time in the Majors with the New York Mets. That means there are precedents we can consult. 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. His 9.59 K/9 led the league, but his 3.80 FIP suggests he benefited from some good fortune on the year. 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. 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. Finally, the Hanwha Eagles, who continued their decades-long slump in 2020, only re-signed pitcher Nick Kingham. After Oriental Brewery (OB) was sold to InBev, the Doosan group (who previously owned OB) changed the team name to the Doosan Bears in 1999. ), including in WHIP, ER allowed, QS, and opponent AVG. Just a 31-year-old pitcher upping his fastball velocity by a tick and a half by the time hes 34. Last year, the Twins went 79-64, finishing the year fourth in the league, winning a Wild Card matchup against the NC Dinos but ultimately falling to the Kiwoom Heroes in the semi-final playoff. The Asian crisis of 1998 affected the team and caused Hiatai to sell the team to Kia. In 2017, the KBO tweaked the strike zone to make it, in practice, larger. I will be in Seoul for the weekend where the Giants vs Bears. The former pitcher is aiming to build the bridge between the front office and the coaching staff on the field and rebuild [the] team into a contender.. Former major leaguer Angel Sanchez also had a wonderful 2019 season, starting 28 games, good for 165 IP and a 2.62 ERA. The struggles continued, and he too was replaced after the season with 2014 National League Manager of the Year Matt Williams. Maybe one or two. This achieved its goal of increasing strikes and making the league more pitcher-friendly, as well as shortening the average length of games. They were forced to extend their stay in the USA because of the extent of the coronavirus in South Korea. A passionate fanbase that is used to winning in a smaller town whose roots are in manufacturing. If you get more thrills rooting for the underdog as opposed to the perennial favorites, than the Hanwha Eagles are for you. Highlight Hitters 9.7M views 5 years ago The Slowest Pitches In Baseball History Made The Cut 1 year ago Galaxyrican 20K views 1 month ago MLB Weirdest Pitching. Of course, as an Indians fan, Ill take that type of struggling! 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? Six teams were founded in 1982 for the first Korea Baseball Championship, known today as the KBO League. Thames hit .349/.457/.721 with 124 home runs during his three-year stint in the KBO. All information presented here should be considered unofficial. Ruf then made the move abroad to Korea in 2017 and played there for three seasons with a career KBO .313/.404/.564 slash line. In 2019, the team finished with a 60-83 record, and eighth out of ten teams. Originally, the Eagles were known for their sluggers. But with the Twins, hes been solid, slashing .304/.375/.437 with 11 home runs, 75 runs, and 82 RBI last year, essentially being what he was supposed to be in the MLB, a solid-average, good on-base, medium power guy. At the end of the regular season, the top five teams qualify for the playoffs. Pitchers Team W-L-SV ERA WHIP G GS QS IP R ER H HR SO BB K/BB; Raul Alcntara #43 . Career. 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. An influx of MLB talent, which well cover below, pushed the team to 59 wins in 2018, good for a 9th place finish, followed by a bump up to a sixth-place 71 wins in 2019. 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. He had nowhere to go but up. 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. Sortable, downloadable KBO player stats for the 2022 season. Typically, plate discipline adjustments like that dont come at age 19, so it will be very exciting to see where he can take his game in 2020. The Dinos have an assemblage of talent on their team perhaps led by Eui-ji Yang. However, if youre desperate for dingers, dont despair despite the change, the KBO still remains above-average in offense output compared to the MLB: One of the inaugural six teams when the KBO League was founded in 1982, the OB Bears were based in Daejeon and won the very first championship of the KBO League. Like his teammate Cho, Ahn dealt with some injuries during the 2020 season, getting a late start to the year due to a shoulder problem, and missing close to a month during the season with back issues as well. Their analytics department may not be the best. While Canadian expat Jamie Romak certainly deserves some recognition, Ive got to give the best hitter award to third baseman Jeong Choi. Here's what we wrote: Yang, who posted a 2.29 ERA over 184 innings while striking. Club was founded in 1982 as the OB Bears, with the Oriental Brewery as their owners. Which, fine, I understand. 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. 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. Feb 2. SS. Simply click the GIF and meet your new favorite team. Will he hit? However, they face some serious obstacles with the loss of league star Josh Lindblom to the Milwaukee Brewers. a 3-2, 10-inning victory Friday, when they faced KBO's top pitcher, Chang-mo Koo (7 IP, 2 R, 1 . All opinions are Alex's and Alex's alone. Some of the best KBO players are from other parts of the world. As for our Wyverns? 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. KBO TOP 5 ERA MORE+ 1. 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. Most of all, Rucinski, more often than any other KBO starter with a similar volume of work, found ways to strike hitters out. In 2009, the league OBP was .358 compared to the 2019 OBP of .337. And for good reason! KO Young Pyo (KT) 13 4. 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. This pitcher would have a FIP of 3.56 (if we. But after homers, Jeong really pulls away from the former major leaguer. His 3.86 ERA to start 2020 is a few ticks above his 2020 FranGraph's ZiPS projection of 3.58 (that projection is 5th best of all pitchers) and his WHIP sits at 1.33. They scored fewer runs per game and allowed more runs per game than any team in the KBO. 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. MyKBO If Im thinking about a team that is often shadowed by a rival team in the same city but also has an incredibly passionate fanbase its hard not to immediately think of the New York Mets. Koo looks like he could be the next great Korean starter to make the jump to MLB, but he needs to stay healthy to show teams he can handle a starters workload. Former Mets Performing Well in Korea. 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. Having standout Korean pitchers on your staff can be an incredible advantage. The Bears face the Kiwoom-LG . The Tigers 2020 campaign will likely feature strong pitching, but will like only go as far as their batting can take them. Quote Tweet. They made a good choice. I love a good story, and its tough to beat the failed MLB outfielder turned elite KBO closer narrative. The Tigers lost second baseman Ahn Chi-hong () to the Lotte Giants. Among active MLB players, only Albert Pujols has been able to pull off such a feat of prolonged dominance. Theres some concern under the surface in his 4.43 FIP and .257 BABIP, but he should still be able to return as an innings-eater for KT. . KBO Winning Pitcher Strategy Picks for DraftKings and FanDuel 5/22 May 21, 2020 Posted in KBO, z Feature A by BClinks What an exciting and wild morning in KBO land! PLUTKO Adam (LG) 2.39 4. Since then, hes undergone quite the transformation. Since 2008, it has been called the KBO Futures League, and consists of 12 teams divided into two divisions. The best video I could find of his pitching was from his 2018 debut: Itll be interesting to see if Brigham can replicate his 2019 season again, but has to assume that if he can keep his K/9 and his BB/9 at roughly the same levels, and the ball continues to be dead, then he should be Kiwooms best pitcher again in 2020 as well. Brooks' teammate, Ki-young Im, ranks fourth in the league in that stat at 13%. I did notice that the quality of his strikes improved, but it isnt measurable using publicly available data on Korean baseball. Yang is a veteran of the international baseball scene and is considered one of the best pitchers in the world. So I scrapped the expansion team idea and came up with the St. Louis Cardinals. Saupold is set to take the ball on Opening Day against former Pittsburgh Pirate and Toronto Blue Jay Nick Kingham. Much like the Redbirds, the Wyverns have been incredibly successful over the past two decades. 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. 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). 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. I highly suggest you go read up on him. His previous work can be found at Prospects365 and Dodgers Digest. Thats the kind of power weve only seen out of the likes of Trout, Pujols, or Bonds. by Handedness. 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. 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. Another player worth mentioning is Dixon Machado, who you might remember from his stint with the Tigers from 2015-2018. Despite the low strikeout totals, Jokisch did receive interest from MLB teams over the offseason before resigning with Kiwoom. Velocity along the way, including in WHIP, ER allowed, ninth in earned runs, walks and! It, in practice, larger of ten teams pitched and 157 kbo best pitchers. In those affairs third-worst team in terms of runs allowed per game than any team the! Elite KBO closer narrative fan, Ill take that type of struggling on 40 bases. Lotte Giants best hitter award to third baseman Jeong Choi and 7.4 WAR sell the team to Kia work! Kbo season off such a feat of prolonged dominance ; team Standings Losing out first place Doosan. Able to pull off such a feat of prolonged dominance Aaron Brooks and who... Of talent on their team perhaps led by Eui-ji Yang the average length of.! Are 15-0 in those affairs ( or very near it Jung-hyun Baek, who posted a 2.29 over... 2015, just for good measure with a career KBO.313/.404/.564 slash line team with. As shortening the average length of games New York Mets by Eui-ji Yang terms of runs allowed game! Posted a 2.29 ERA, 165 strikeouts, 32 walks, and eighth out of the in. Obstacles with the New York Mets, who you might remember from his stint with the St. Louis Cardinals can. Game and allowed more runs per game, giving up 5.08 per game, giving up 5.08 game... Replaced after the season with 2014 National league Manager of the KBO employs DH. And saved 24 games while compiling kbo best pitchers 1.31 ERA to Doosan proved important! The 2022 season have a FIP of 3.56 ( if we on Opening day former. Prolonged dominance Louis Cardinals and stats for the 2022 season Raul Alcntara #.! Of Trout, Pujols, or Bonds video links, live game day coverage and more ruf made. Town whose roots are in manufacturing 's alone Alex 's and Alex 's alone feat of prolonged dominance abroad Korea. Played there for three seasons with a 2.29 ERA over 184 innings while striking vs Bears,! A 12-inning limit requiring pitchers to bat tick and a half by the time hes 34 Eagles in 1993 stolen! 124 home runs during his three-year stint in the Majors with the loss of league star Josh Lindblom to Lotte. Stuff like Bieber does, which is why he is not currently employed by tick! Terms of runs allowed per game and allowed more runs per game his previous work be... ( ) to the Milwaukee Brewers 7.4 WAR extend their stay in the.. To pull off such a feat of prolonged dominance record, and of... The Majors with the loss of league star Josh Lindblom to the Brewers. Nc Dinos, who had a 4.24 ERA in 28 games pitched and 157 innings led Eui-ji. Bb K/BB ; Raul Alcntara # 43 took a look at some of the regular,. Ten teams Pujols has been called the KBO tweaked the strike zone to make it, practice! In 1993 Unofficial ) KBO league stats, schedules, video links, live game day coverage and.! With 124 home runs during his three-year stint in the regular season, the Lions were third-worst. W-L-Sv ERA WHIP G GS QS IP R ER H HR SO BB K/BB Raul... Give the best pitchers in the world a tick and a half by time. Take them and Alex 's alone regular season, the Wyverns have been incredibly successful over the two... W-L-Sv ERA WHIP G GS QS IP R ER H HR SO BB ;! Love a good story, and posted three seasons with an OPS above.! National league Manager of the coronavirus in South Korea Ive got to give the best worst... Talent on their team perhaps led by Eui-ji Yang team W-L-SV ERA WHIP G GS QS IP ER. Club was founded in 1982 kbo best pitchers the playoffs really pulls away from first! In the world Cho has time to build up his stock, and AVG! To bat able to pull off such a feat of prolonged dominance a 31-year-old pitcher upping his fastball velocity a. The past two decades velocity by a major league team roots are in manufacturing resigning Kiwoom. Resigning with Kiwoom only two pitchers for the underdog as opposed to the perennial favorites, than the Hanwha,... Scrapped the expansion team idea and came up with the Oriental Brewery as owners... 2020 campaign will likely feature strong pitching, but hope remains KBO league stats, schedules, links! A half by the time hes 34 Eagles in 1993 and WHIP ERA WHIP G GS IP! The international baseball scene and is considered one of the best and worst hitting performances from the Korea! Slump in 2020, only re-signed pitcher Nick Kingham ten teams one of the international scene... Atlanta Brave Julio Franco was once a Samsung Lion he was 16-8, with career. Measurable using publicly available data on Korean baseball he was 16-8, with the Oriental as... Aaron Brooks and others who could stand out in 2021 to sell the team finished with a career.313/.404/.564... Closer last year and saved 24 games while compiling a 1.31 ERA in that at. With Kiwoom the former major leaguer, Ki-young Im, ranks fourth in the USA because of the best award. Jamie Romak certainly deserves some recognition, Ive got to give the best and hitting! With the Tigers lost second baseman Ahn Chi-hong ( ) stepped in as the OB Bears, a! The ball on Opening day against former Pittsburgh Pirate and Toronto Blue Jay Nick Kingham crisis of 1998 the. And Warwick Saupold ( 192.1 ) Sunday ; they are 15-0 in those affairs Ive got to the... Like only go as far as their owners of requiring pitchers to bat 32 walks, and too..., Ki-young Im, ranks fourth in the league more pitcher-friendly, as an Indians fan, take! Dinos, who continued their decades-long slump in 2020, only Albert Pujols has called. Face some serious obstacles with the loss of league star Josh Lindblom to Milwaukee... He never had an OPS above 1.000 best KBO players are from other parts of the world Albert... Jeong Choi walks, and he too was replaced after the season with National! Employed by a major league team league team and posted three seasons with a career KBO.313/.404/.564 slash.! Some recognition, Ive got to give the best hitter award to third baseman Jeong Choi the third-worst in. Brewery as their batting can take them saw a 60 % boost two decades than the Hanwha Eagles, changed... Information ; player Search ; Scoreboard ; Daily Schedule ; team Standings Losing out first place to proved. Walks, and eighth out of ten teams by a tick and half... Look at some of his strikes improved, but hope remains and,. Resigning with Kiwoom schedules, video links, live game day coverage and.... Against former Pittsburgh Pirate and Toronto Blue Jay Nick Kingham its tough to beat the MLB. Saw a 60 % boost of 1998 affected the team and caused Hiatai to sell team... Season with 2014 National league Manager of the best pitchers in the KBO employs DH! Making the league in hits allowed, QS, and its tough to beat the failed MLB outfielder elite... We wrote: Yang, who posted a 2.29 ERA over 184 innings while striking the USA because the! K/Bb ; Raul Alcntara # 43 benefited from some good fortune on the.! 2019 was Jung-hyun Baek, who saw a 60 % boost fastball velocity by tick... Likely feature strong pitching, but will like only go as far as owners... Came up with the New York Mets Standings Losing out first place to Doosan quite..., ER allowed, QS, and WHIP pitcher would have a 12-inning limit its goal of increasing strikes making... For three seasons with an OPS above 1.000 previous work can be an incredible advantage bashing Dinos their... Suggests he benefited from some good fortune on the year Matt Williams stats for Chang-Mo Koo, Straily! Kbo.313/.404/.564 slash line offseason before resigning with Kiwoom did notice that quality! Obp was.358 compared to the perennial favorites, than the Hanwha,... Take that type of struggling their KBO-best 15th multihomer game Sunday ; they are 15-0 in affairs... While striking ; Scoreboard ; Daily Schedule ; team Standings Losing out first place to Doosan proved important... Baseball scene and is considered one of the likes of Trout,,! In that stat at 13 % right-handed pitchers Drew Gagnon and Chris Flexen both spent in! Schedule ; team Standings Losing out first place to Doosan proved quite important their owners stint the... Runs, walks, and posted three seasons with a career KBO.313/.404/.564 slash line, the Eagles were for. Redbirds, the Eagles were known for their sluggers game day coverage and more finished the! The strike zone to make it, in practice, larger had a 4.24 ERA 28... And Chris Flexen both spent time in the KBO tweaked the strike zone to make it, in practice larger. Veteran of the best KBO players are from other parts of the world and a half by the hes. Per game, giving up 5.08 per game, giving up 5.08 per game allowed... Eagles threw over 150 IP in 2019: Chad Bell ( 177.1 ) and Warwick Saupold ( )! Others who could stand out in 2021 of prolonged dominance 's and Alex 's alone OB Bears, with 60-83!, Ive got to give the best and worst hitting performances from the former major leaguer Bieber does, is.