In the baseball world, there is an old adage that ‘baseball is a pitcher’s game’.
However, in the free agent (FA) market, this word does not work well. Due to the nature of pitchers who use their shoulders a lot, there is a perception that they are “consumables.” It means that even if a pitcher has reached a certain level in the league, his future cannot be guaranteed.
In the free agency market last winter, most pitching free agents were not welcomed. Won Jong-hyun moved from NC to Kiwoom and opened the first FA contract, and Lee Tae-yang returned to his parent team Hanwha from SSG, and other pitchers found their destinations only after passing the year. There is also Kang Ri-ho, who eventually became a lost child and announced his retirement.
Then, how did their joys and sorrows change after half of the 2023 season?
The pitcher who performed the best was Lee Tae-yang. Lee Tae-yang signed a contract with Hanwha for a total of 2.5 billion won for 4 years and paid the ransom.
Lee Tae-yang, who played as an all-weather bullpen, played 43 innings in 31 games in the first half and recorded an average ERA of 2.30 with 1 win and 2 holds. He kept the mound by playing the most innings on the team other than starting pitchers. When the Hanwha Eagles ran 8 consecutive wins, Lee Taeyang’s performance during this period was an average ERA of 2.25 in 4 games. They lost only one of their four matches. Thanks to this, Hanwha’s bullpen ERA is 3.81, which ranks fourth among 10 clubs.
Jeong Chan-heon was able to continue his career as a player by remaining on an FA contract with Kiwoom, the original team, at the end of March ahead of the opening.
He could not even attend the spring camp, and there were also voices of concern because he belatedly joined the team during individual training. However, Jeong Chan-heon’s record was complied with.
In the first half, he recorded an average ERA of 3.94 with 2 wins and 5 losses in 11 games. In the last game of the first half, against Doosan on the 9th, it collapsed with 6 runs (5 earned) in 3.2 innings, but achieved a quality start in 7 out of 11 games and achieved the basic requirements as a starting pitcher.
Kiwoom coach Hong Won-ki also evaluated, “I joined late during the winter under difficult conditions, but I see that I played my role 120% by taking the starting position.”토토사이트 순위
But other free agent pitchers couldn’t laugh out loud.
Won Jong-hyun accepted the result of being out of the season due to an injury. Won Jong-hyun recorded an average ERA of 5.79 with 16 runs (12 ERA) in 18.2 innings in 20 games this year, and was on the operating table due to pain in the right flexor area. His rehabilitation period is about 1 year.
Han Hyun-hee, who received the largest amount of 4 billion won (3+1 years) in terms of total amount among pitchers who signed free agent contracts, did not do as well as the ransom. Han Hyun-hee, who started the season as a starting pitcher, fell short of expectations with 3 wins, 7 losses and an ERA of 5.10 in 11 games as a starter. He eventually moved his position to reliever starting in late June, but that didn’t turn out to be a solution. He raised the team’s troubles by allowing 11 runs in 9 innings in 10 games.
