5. Samsung Lions
My beloved Samsung Lions could be completely awful this year. A 5th place finish is actually a little optomistic. They've got serious holes in their lineup and even more serious holes in their pitching staff. They tried and failed to acquire(buy) lefty Jeong Won-sam from the Seoul Heroes. He could have been the ace that this team is missing. Yoon Seong-hwan could emerge as a potential ace this season. After completing his military service in 2007, Yoon returned to the Lions as a reliever and did a servicable job. In 2008, he went back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen. Somehow, he ended the year with a 10-11 record in 35 appearances. He lead the Lions with 135 2/3 innings last year. He posted a respectable 3.92 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. After Yoon, the Lions will use their 2 new foreign arms, Runelvys(Run! Elvis! Run!) Hernandez and Francisco Cruceta. The rest of the rotation is anyone's guess. Most likely Bae Yong-su's rotting corpse and Lee Sang-mok's rotting corpse will be propped up and forced to throw pitches. Personally, I'd like to see Ahn Ji-man turned into a starter. He looked strong working long relief in last year's playoffs.
The Samsung bullpen should be strong again. Oh Seung-hwan looked awful in the WBC, but he should make a run at another 40 save season. Kwon Hyeok should continue in his role as top set up man. Oh and Kwon were a deadly 1-2 punch in 2008. Both posted ERA's under 2.00.
The biggest story for Samsung is ageless DH Yang Jun-hyeok's run at the KBO homerun record. With any luck, he should have the record wrapped up by mid-April. I believe he needs 2 more homers for the record(He currently sits at 339). Rightfielder Choi Hyeong-woo was the 2008 KBO Rookie of the Year. That sounds more impressive than it is. He was the best of a mediocre crop of rookies last year. He's also 26 years old. I'm looking forward to watching Park Seok-min handle the everyday 3rd base job and I can't help but wonder what Park Han-yi would look like patrolling centerfield for the White Sox. He can't be worse than this guy. Other than that things look bleak for the Lions in the field. Shortstop Park Jin-man and catcher Jin Kab-yong are really starting to show their age.
6. Seoul Heroes
For a team without a sponsor, they're not that bad. Really, they're not. Assuming they can complete the season without folding(they should, the worst thing that happens is they get taken over by the league office again), they could hang around and possibly post a winning record. The middle of their order should be stronger. Cliff Brumbaugh will be back for another season(his 5th!) and Doug Clark was signed away from Hanwha. I like a #3/#4 combo of Clark and Brumbaugh. Leftfielder, Lee Taek-geun was a catalyst for this team last year and he should continue in his role as a leadoff hitter. He posted a .398 OBP in 2008 with 59 runs scored and 18 SB's. Veteran KBO infielder, Song Ji-man is returning for his 14th KBO season. He's spent every year with Hyundai/Woori/The Heroes. He should provide some protection for Clark and Brumbaugh. He can still hit.
On the mound, the Heroes have the best 1-2 combo in the league. Ace Ma Il-yeong and Jeong Won-sam combined for 23 of the team's 50 wins. Ma Il-yeong finished 11-11 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. In 173 KBO innings, he struck out 83 and walked 69. Jeong finished the year with a 12-8 record in 27 starts. He worked 167 1/3 innings last year. In those innings, he struck out 126 and walked 59. These two could pitch the Heroes into contention....if the Heroes bullpen wasn't completely awful. Only The Great Shingo Takatsu could stabalize the backend of the Heroes bullpen. Shingo joined the Heroes in mid-June and started putting zeroes on the scoreboard. He posted a 0.86 ERA and 8 saves over the last 3 months of the season. He also won the heart of this poor, bitter White Sox fan all over again. (swoon) Sadly, he wasn't brought back and this bullpen is a mess again. I guess Hwang Doo-seong is the de facto closer, but he was the reason Shingo was signed in the first place.
For a team without a sponsor, they're not that bad. Really, they're not. Assuming they can complete the season without folding(they should, the worst thing that happens is they get taken over by the league office again), they could hang around and possibly post a winning record. The middle of their order should be stronger. Cliff Brumbaugh will be back for another season(his 5th!) and Doug Clark was signed away from Hanwha. I like a #3/#4 combo of Clark and Brumbaugh. Leftfielder, Lee Taek-geun was a catalyst for this team last year and he should continue in his role as a leadoff hitter. He posted a .398 OBP in 2008 with 59 runs scored and 18 SB's. Veteran KBO infielder, Song Ji-man is returning for his 14th KBO season. He's spent every year with Hyundai/Woori/The Heroes. He should provide some protection for Clark and Brumbaugh. He can still hit.
On the mound, the Heroes have the best 1-2 combo in the league. Ace Ma Il-yeong and Jeong Won-sam combined for 23 of the team's 50 wins. Ma Il-yeong finished 11-11 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. In 173 KBO innings, he struck out 83 and walked 69. Jeong finished the year with a 12-8 record in 27 starts. He worked 167 1/3 innings last year. In those innings, he struck out 126 and walked 59. These two could pitch the Heroes into contention....if the Heroes bullpen wasn't completely awful. Only The Great Shingo Takatsu could stabalize the backend of the Heroes bullpen. Shingo joined the Heroes in mid-June and started putting zeroes on the scoreboard. He posted a 0.86 ERA and 8 saves over the last 3 months of the season. He also won the heart of this poor, bitter White Sox fan all over again. (swoon) Sadly, he wasn't brought back and this bullpen is a mess again. I guess Hwang Doo-seong is the de facto closer, but he was the reason Shingo was signed in the first place.
7. KIA Tigers
The highest OPS on this team was a 242-year old catcher that had posted solid #'s exactly once in his 203-year career in Korean baseball. Actually, Lee Jin-ju is only 36, but he was still the best hitter on this team last year. He LEAD the team with 58 RBI's. It was that kind of year for KIA. Supposedly former mediocre MLB slugger, Choi Hee-seop slimmed down in the off season. I'll believe it when I see it. He was eating his way out of the league last year. This team has a little speed on offense(5 Tigers registered double digit steals last year), but not much else. I don't see how this team is going to score any runs.
On the mound, things aren't nearly as bad. Staff ace/WBC hero Yoon Seok-min turned in an excellent 2008 season. Yoon finished the year 14-5 in 24 starts. In his 154 2/3 innings, he struck out 119 and walked 46. His ERA ended at 2.05 and his WHIP was a solid 1.05. If he pitched for any other team(except LG) he would have been in contention for the MVP award. Lee Beom-seok was a solid #2 starter. Lee ended the season with a 7-10 record in 28 starts. He worked 119 2/3 innings with a 3.08 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. Former Tampa Bay Devil Ray, Seo Jae-weong was a disappointment. He spent the year moving between the rotation and the DL. In 16 starts, Seo was 5-5 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. Somehow, closer Han Ki-joo saved 26 games last year. He struck out 46 batters in 58 innings and finished with a 1.71 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. Yoon Dong-hoon and Son Yeong-min were solid in middle relief. Both posted sub 3.50 ERA's. Lacking an semblence of an offense, KIA of course chose to bring in two foreign pitchers to bolster their staff. Rick Guttormson and "Senor Smoke", Aquilino Lopez, will likely fill out the KIA rotation.
The highest OPS on this team was a 242-year old catcher that had posted solid #'s exactly once in his 203-year career in Korean baseball. Actually, Lee Jin-ju is only 36, but he was still the best hitter on this team last year. He LEAD the team with 58 RBI's. It was that kind of year for KIA. Supposedly former mediocre MLB slugger, Choi Hee-seop slimmed down in the off season. I'll believe it when I see it. He was eating his way out of the league last year. This team has a little speed on offense(5 Tigers registered double digit steals last year), but not much else. I don't see how this team is going to score any runs.
On the mound, things aren't nearly as bad. Staff ace/WBC hero Yoon Seok-min turned in an excellent 2008 season. Yoon finished the year 14-5 in 24 starts. In his 154 2/3 innings, he struck out 119 and walked 46. His ERA ended at 2.05 and his WHIP was a solid 1.05. If he pitched for any other team(except LG) he would have been in contention for the MVP award. Lee Beom-seok was a solid #2 starter. Lee ended the season with a 7-10 record in 28 starts. He worked 119 2/3 innings with a 3.08 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. Former Tampa Bay Devil Ray, Seo Jae-weong was a disappointment. He spent the year moving between the rotation and the DL. In 16 starts, Seo was 5-5 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. Somehow, closer Han Ki-joo saved 26 games last year. He struck out 46 batters in 58 innings and finished with a 1.71 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. Yoon Dong-hoon and Son Yeong-min were solid in middle relief. Both posted sub 3.50 ERA's. Lacking an semblence of an offense, KIA of course chose to bring in two foreign pitchers to bolster their staff. Rick Guttormson and "Senor Smoke", Aquilino Lopez, will likely fill out the KIA rotation.
8. LG Twins
This team was among the more active in the offseason. At least they realized that sticking with the same group of corpses was a bad idea. Roberto Petagine will be asked to be the only middle of the order prescence on this roster. Big Bobby delivered a .984 OPS in 216 AB's last year, but if LG can't find someone to protect him, he's not going to see a pitch all year. Lee Jin-yeong was signed from SK to bolster the outfield and provide some punch near the top of the order. The 29-year old vet has a .301 career batting average over 10 KBO seasons. Mediocre slugger Choi Dong-su figures to bat behind Petagine. Choi lead the team in homers(16) and RBI(62) last year. Center fielder Lee Dae-hyeong's .598 OPS will likely be back at the top of the LG batting order next year. (But he stole 63 bases! He drives in runs with his legs!).
LG is solid at the top of the rotation with Bong Jung-geun and Austrialian hero, Chris Oxspring. Dr. Bong pitched magnificently for this motley crew. In 28 starts, Bong finished with a 11-8 record. In his league best 186 1/3 innings, he struck out 140 and walked 80. He ended the year with a 2.66 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Oxspring is essentially a foreign innings eater, but he finished with a .500 record and a sub 4.00 ERA last year. The LG bullpen is absolutely rotten. 34-year old Kim Kyung-tae was brought in to help stabilize the middle relief. He wasn't that bad with SK. He posted a sub 3.00 ERA in 24 1/3 innings with 6 holds. Jeong Jae-bok's 3.89 ERA and double-digit holds and saves don't sound that bad, but he managed to be responsible for 10 LG losses last year.
This team was among the more active in the offseason. At least they realized that sticking with the same group of corpses was a bad idea. Roberto Petagine will be asked to be the only middle of the order prescence on this roster. Big Bobby delivered a .984 OPS in 216 AB's last year, but if LG can't find someone to protect him, he's not going to see a pitch all year. Lee Jin-yeong was signed from SK to bolster the outfield and provide some punch near the top of the order. The 29-year old vet has a .301 career batting average over 10 KBO seasons. Mediocre slugger Choi Dong-su figures to bat behind Petagine. Choi lead the team in homers(16) and RBI(62) last year. Center fielder Lee Dae-hyeong's .598 OPS will likely be back at the top of the LG batting order next year. (But he stole 63 bases! He drives in runs with his legs!).
LG is solid at the top of the rotation with Bong Jung-geun and Austrialian hero, Chris Oxspring. Dr. Bong pitched magnificently for this motley crew. In 28 starts, Bong finished with a 11-8 record. In his league best 186 1/3 innings, he struck out 140 and walked 80. He ended the year with a 2.66 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Oxspring is essentially a foreign innings eater, but he finished with a .500 record and a sub 4.00 ERA last year. The LG bullpen is absolutely rotten. 34-year old Kim Kyung-tae was brought in to help stabilize the middle relief. He wasn't that bad with SK. He posted a sub 3.00 ERA in 24 1/3 innings with 6 holds. Jeong Jae-bok's 3.89 ERA and double-digit holds and saves don't sound that bad, but he managed to be responsible for 10 LG losses last year.
3 comments:
There was a Japanese guy playing in the KBO? What a novelty! The things you learn reading this blog! Thanks for doing the pre-season report. I for one appreciate it.
To add to your Kia Tigers report, I saw Choi Hee Seop in a few games in pre-season and he's hitting homers but he's also swinging yesterday, tomorrow and two feet over or under a lot of pitches. He's an ugly hitter and his fielding skills are below average. He snuffed out a LOT of rallies last year. Local fans called him the "Black Hole." I still think Lee Jae Joo is a better clean-up hitter for the Tigers. He runs like he's got a piano strapped to his arse but his homerun trot is intact. I think they have a solid line-up of hitters: Lee Yong Gyoon, Lee Jong Beom, Lee Hyun Gon, Lee Jae Joo, Jang Sung Ho, Kim Weon Seop. And there are some young guys who could break out this year like Na Ji Weon. My theory is that maybe, like me, some of the players don't like the coach, Jo Beom Hyun. It's time for Lee Jong Beom to be player/coach in my opinion.
As for pitching, although the numbers for Son Young Min and Han Ki Joo looked okay last year, I think they were doctored cuz they both stunk. And with starting pitchers showing no signs of fatigue, the coach kept right on calling their numbers! Good news for Tigers fans is that Son looked better in the second half and he looks good this year. Han, I dunno. Relief pitchers lost a LOT of games for Kia and brought starting pitcher numbers down. What I'm hoping is the two new foreign pitchers were brought for relief. Why doesn't that happen? Except for closers. I sure hope they don't take Lee Beom Seok or Seo Jae Eung's positions. Lee was great and Seo was good even though their numbers don't back that up. With Yoon Seok Min winning 20 this year and Lee Dae Jin, Im Joon Hyeok or any warm body fourth in the rotation they're fine.
I'm expecting a big improvement this year. Bench two big name players and you make the playoffs. I think they still have a chance even if they don't. But then again, I was really psyched last year too. And the year before that. And...
Yoon suk min and Han Ki-Ju is the only pitcher i can count on Kia, and the rest of the pitcher, you're right Dave, they are too shaky (my hopes on the other hand would be the revival of the Seo Jae Woong, and possible comeback of Jose Lima?? lol)
Man, one thing for sure, Choi hee seop has got to leave. He's one of the reason why i DONT see any bright future for Tigers as this year as well.
Dave, there's also another nickname for Hee Seop among the fan and it's called Hee-Saap (Saap meaning a shovel). when anyone blows and opportunity or a chance, Koreans like to make a term "he's digging(or shoveling) his way to the bottom"
and Hee Seop Choi has been doing nothing but Digging his way to the bottom. my two cents~
Post a Comment