LG Twins closer Ko Woo-seok (25) will try out for the major leagues.
As the post was officially announced on the 5th (KST), the situation is now open for negotiations.
Local teams are also showing interest in the pitcher.
Ko is one of the best closers in the KBO. In 2022, he led the league in saves (42).
His 1.48 ERA was also the best among bullpen pitchers.
While his performance this year has been shaken by injuries, with 15 saves in 44 games and a 3.68 ERA, the metrics that give us a glimpse into his power are still respectable.
In particular, his 12.07 strikeouts per nine innings is tops in the league among pitchers with 40 or more innings pitched.
In recent years, Major League Baseball has emphasized not only the big numbers, but also the smaller ones.
In this regard, Ko’s decline this season shouldn’t be a big deal.
On the contrary, his age in his mid-20s gives him a competitive edge in a bullpen market dominated by pitchers in their 30s.
Teams will be looking to see if he can continue to develop in the majors while he’s still young.
Developing a bullpen is a labor of love for any team.
If you want to be good, you need to have a strong back door.
Even rebuilding teams that aren’t looking to win a championship right away pay attention to their bullpen.
Weak starters often have to pick up the slack, and a good bullpen can be a valuable midseason trade chip.
As such, Go will have plenty of options.
Ko’s strength is his four-seam fastball.
He puts pressure on hitters with his powerful four-seam.
This year, his average velocity is down a kilometer from last year (152.5 km), but it’s still above the average velocity of major league bullpen pitchers (152.4 km).
While velocity alone is not a guarantee of success, having the velocity required by the major leagues is a definite plus.
The key to Ko’s success is his off-speed pitches. A bullpen pitcher who works in short innings doesn’t need a lot of pitches.
However, they do need to have a secondary pitch to back up their four-seam.
Baseball America (BA), which specializes in prospects, included Koo in its list of “International Prospects to Watch in the Major Leagues in 2024,” along with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Lee Jung-hoo. 호텔카지노
He introduced a curveball as his second pitch, though he didn’t think it was as good as it is now.
The same goes for the third pitch, a cutter (locals consider his high-speed slider to be a cutter).
On a 20-80 scale, which is how scouts grade pitches, Koo’s four-seam was a 55, which is above average, but his curve was a 45 and his cutter was a 40. BA said of Ko, “His fastball will give him a chance to be a low-key bullpen arm.
However, his secondary pitches will need to be refined if he wants to move up in the organization.”
The team most closely associated with Ko is the St. Louis Cardinals.
After falling to 71 wins and 91 losses last season, St. Louis is looking to get back on track next year.
They’re looking to improve their bullpen, and Ko could be one of their targets.
While it’s unlikely that he’ll be a closer right away, the shaky bullpen situation should motivate him.
Elsewhere, Elgie emphasized that he would not “give him away on the cheap.”
The posting system, which has undergone several revisions, has made it harder for clubs to get a big bargain.
In the past, the highest bidder was able to negotiate exclusively, but now all teams are on a level playing field.
Posting fees vary depending on the size of the contract, and it’s hard to go over the “$25 million” threshold, which is where the extra money is calculated.
Contracts that are not worth $25 million pay 20% of the total to the original club.
In December 2019, St. Louis, which signed Kim Kwang-hyun to an $8 million contract, paid the Eskay (SK) Wyverns (now SSG Landers) $1.6 million, or 20% of the total.
Go Woo-seok will be able to play in the major leagues next season, and if he’s determined enough, he’ll be able to make it.
However, I doubt it would make much sense for him to try again as a free agent next year.
If you want to increase your value in the major leagues, you need to be in the major leagues.
