KIA's Korean Series Project Part 1... Will the left-hander with his head down come back
KIA's Korean Series Project Part 1... Will the left-hander with his head down come back
Blog Article
Kia, which confirmed its 2024 regular season title on Wednesday, will now enter a mode to prepare for the Korean Series. Starting with the match against NC Dinosaurs in Gwangju on Tuesday, the team will operate its six remaining games with a goal of "testing" rather than winning. Chances are high that the rival teams have confirmed the ranking to some extent at that point, which eased the burden.먹튀검증
The Korean Series has 30 entries, two more than the regular season. All of these 30 players participate in the series with their own goals. Individual performances are also at stake in the regular season, but postseason runs solely on team performance. All players have to align their teeth in their respective positions. In particular, stages like the Korean Series are unparalleled. Aces have to accept early replacement, and bullpen aces can also play at different times depending on circumstances. The same goes for batters.
Ordinary teams distribute 12 to 14 pitchers along with the rest to the fielders. It is a short-term game, and a two-day game actually does not require many pitchers, as there is a day off from work. Chances are high that Kia will decide in the meantime on its pitching entry. Now, Kia needs to develop elaborate plans for the players who will make the entry, and their positions in the game.
Some of the left-handed bullpen agents who can influence the course of the game are Kwak Do-gyu, Kim Ki-hoon, Lee Joon-young, and Kim Dae-yu. Their duties during the regular season were slightly different. Kim Ki-hoon used to throw long balls when the starting pitcher was moved down early. Kwak usually pitched one inning. Lee Joon-young and Kim Dae-yu are expected to have a mission closer to the left-handed specialist side than to the one inning. Choi Ji-min (21) is drawing attention here. Although he has performed poorly this year, he can be used as an all-weather player with normal performance.
In 53 games this season, Choi had two wins, three losses, three saves and 11 holds and an earned run average of 5.36. Considering that he had an earned run average of 2.12 in 58 games last year, his performance was depressed a lot. Due to poor performance and injuries this season, he also experienced three times in the second division. He suffered severe ups and downs. Apart from his ERA, he gave the impression that he could not throw his ball from the beginning of the season, but eventually his ERA, which he had endured since mid-season, collapsed. It was quite embarrassing.
Choi, however, is drawing attention because he showed off his strength in not only left and right sides last year. Not only Lee Joon-young and Kim Dae-yu, but also Kwak Do-gyu also have left and right deviation in split awards. This year, Kwak's on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) against left-handed hitters is low at 0.546, while that against right-handed hitters is 0.759. Of course, it is positive that Kwak's OPS against right-handed hitters continues to decline as time goes by. Since August, his OPS against right-handed hitters is also 0.602. However, it would be even better if he has one more left-hander who can pitch one inning regardless of left and right sides. Kia expects that Choi Ji-min will be able to fulfill this role
Choi was re-registered in the first division entry on Wednesday. He already rested enough. Now it is time to boost his performance. KIA manager Lee Bum-ho emphasized the need for a "normal" Choi. "He threw well at Futures without getting injured. Since we have to use (Choi) Jimin in the Korean Series, we have to help him settle down," Lee said ahead of the match against Doosan Bears in Jamsil on Wednesday.
Manager Lee will recruit pitching innings accumulated last year as the reason for Choi Ji-min's poor performance this year. "Since it is true that we threw a lot last year, we are having a difficult season this season, but if we experience this season well and move on, I think we will be able to grow into a pitcher who can perform much better next year or the year after next year," manager Lee said. "I hope you throw well. Since we have that much ability, we will prepare Jimin well to improve his condition for the rest of the game."
In the remaining six games, Choi will likely undergo experiments in various situations. If he secures ball power and confidence and ends the regular season, this is the best scenario for KIA. On the other hand, if Choi continues to slump, Kia will also be in deep agony. It is also possible to think about ways to exclude Choi and add more left-handed one-point points. The best thing for entry efficiency is to enter the Korean Series with confidence as a left-handed pitcher who can block one inning as it was. There is a good reason why Choi was selected as the first team of Kia's project in preparation for the Korean Series.