Named KBO Best Pitcher with the SK Wyverns posting a 17-6 record with a 2.51 ERA in 190.1 innings with 180 strikeouts.Led the KBO in quality starts (24) while ranking second in wins and strikeouts, third in ERA and innings pitched.Was a road warrior earning 13 of his 17 wins on the road going 13-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 16 appearances. All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com. The park replaced Daegu Baseball Stadium, which was the home of the Lions since their inception in 1982, and sat just 5,000 fans. An FSWA award winner for Research Article of the Year, Alex is the co-host of On The Corner and host of the weekend edition of First Pitch. The city is the home of electronics giant Samsung, which also explains the team name. Replacing him is Sam-young Heo, a former pitcher who made only four appearances for the team in the mid-1990s, but has since been a part of the teams training and support staff, and more recently, was the head of the teams data analysis department. Each of our KBO picks will have a confidence rating alongside the analysis and pick. The Tigers, despite their success, were a team that often financially struggled. Like the MLB, the KBO holds an All-Star Game partway through the season in July. At the end of the day, the KBO is what we love: baseball. 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. If a postseason game ends in an official tie, it essentially does not count, and is replayed in full. In 2019, the Doosan Bears won the regular season (via a tiebreak with the SK Wyverns) and played only four postseason games on their way to the league title, sweeping the Kiwoom Heroes in four games. Best Hitter: Ahn Chi-hong Between the 2018 and 2019 seasons, though, the KBO de-juiced their ball and he responded by leading the league with 33 HR, 98 RBI, and 92 runs in a mere 122 games. Ahn has the traditional four-pitch mix of fastball, slider, curveball and changeup, though he scrapped the changeup for most of the season before bringing it back just before the playoffs. KBO TOP 5 ERA MORE+ 1. He had nowhere to go but up. For those of you who dont know him, Hillman has had a. But the comparisons dont stop there, and they are not all rosy. FIP or Fielding Independent Pitching measures what a pitcher's ERA would look like if the pitcher experienced league-average defense and luck. Really enjoyed opening day (night). (Unofficial) KBO League stats, schedules, video links, live game day coverage and more. Yang is a veteran of the international baseball scene and is considered one of the best pitchers in the world. Their team FIP was better than three other teams, and with the additions of Adrian Sampson and Dan Straily, they could move further up the leaderboard. In that same time span, the teams have also won half of the championships theyve appeared in, with the Cards winning two of four and the Wyverns winning four of eight. In 2019, the Bears' best pitcher was undoubtedly Josh Lindblom, who won the Choi Dong-won award (the KBO's Cy Young equivalent) in both 2018 and 2019, and took home the league MVP in 2019 with league-leading numbers in wins, strikeouts, WHIP, K/BB, and opponent AVG, and finishing second in ERA on the season. They had the lowest weighted on-base average (wOBA) in the KBO. Most people agree that starting pitchers play a vital role in baseball betting odds. Minor League Leaders AAA: Triple-A East, Triple-A . Baseball-Reference He did so while routinely recording some of the best ERAs and FIPs in the league; Eric Jokisch and Casey Kelly occupy the top two spots for both metrics, but they dont have Rucinski beat by a large margin. The KBO League Kia Tigers (KIA ) are based in Gwangju. Among these young studs is CF Lee Jung-hoo, the reigning KBO MVP has expressed his desire to be posted by the Kiwoom Heroes after the 2023 season, joining Kim and others . Hes bringing change to an organization that is hungry to get their team back to their winning ways. Players to watch: Left-handed pitcher Chang-mo Koo, 23, is a prolific strikeout artist on the mound. Except for the NC Dinos, who saw a 60% boost. Id legitimately consider taking him over Jordan Lyles or Kyle Gibson, both of whom signed for much more. There are bat flips. 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. and even whooped up on Tuckdori (but not on our precious DomDoml, Id commit crimes for that sweet robot child). Their top three instantly becomes one of the best in the league come playoff time. You neednt look further than his 6.04 K/9 in 2019 to know he goes about his business in a different manner than pitchers like Koo. However, since 2016, the team hasnt had a winning season. He doesnt have much mileage on his throwing arm, and I dont think hell age the way other starters typically do. Matt Williams will have to find a way to manage a lineup that needs a bit of work. Located about 90 miles south of Seoul in Daejeon, the Hanwha Eagles debuted in the KBO in 1986 as the seventh franchise to join the league. The Kiwoom Heroes share their home base of Seoul with the Doosan Bears and the LG Twins. I wanted to highlight the Wyverns status as an expansion team, so my mind turned to the Diamondbacks. I did notice that the quality of his strikes improved, but it isnt measurable using publicly available data on Korean baseball. The NL Central crown is certainly possible, but not at all a lock. Kakao (May require a VPN). 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! Having standout Korean pitchers on your staff can be an incredible advantage. His stuff played up when he pitched exclusively out of the bullpen: in 2019 his average fastball velocity was 91 MPH in 15 starts and 5 relief appearances, but in 2020 his average velocity jumped to 95 MPH in 42 relief appearances and topped out at 99. Over 177.1 innings, Rucinski posted a 3.05 ERA and 3.6 WAR (good for 12th in the KBO) with an approach that hinges on a pitch-to-contact approach that is popular in the KBO. Despite the deadened ball, he still had a .958 OPS and nearly half his hits went for extra bases. Its a fun team that seemingly uses every resource available to it to find success. They also lost starter Seth Frankoff, who had injury issues over the year but still put together a 3.61 ERA through 117.1 IP. He threw 125 innings for the Rangers in 2019, and it did not go well by MLB standards. Matt Williams does not have a bare cupboard. 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. Much like the Redbirds, the Wyverns have been incredibly successful over the past two decades. Their mascot, Dandi the Tyrannosaurus, may just be the, They have three mascots, which you can see. Best Hitter: Hyun-Soo Kim or Chun-Woong Lee. Like the AL, the KBO employs a DH instead of requiring pitchers to bat. The As guaranteeing Rucinski just $3 million*, in my humble opinion, is a bona fide steal. In his first three appearances following the injury he gave up 6 runs (4 earned) in just 1 1/3 innings and allowed a run in 5 of his first 7 appearances off the injured list. They will certainly be a very fun team to watch." Kim's time in America was anything but easy. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The Lotte Giants best hitters are all above the age of 33, and the same can be said of our native Giants. Another player worth mentioning is Dixon Machado, who you might remember from his stint with the Tigers from 2015-2018. 1. He might be less but they dont really have a lot to lose. Just look at the reigning champs, the NC Dinos, with a Korean ace in Chang-mo Koo. 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. The team hopes for big steps forward from 21-year-old Min Kim and 23-year-old. In 2019, the team finished with a 60-83 record, and eighth out of ten teams. A die-hard Orioles fan, Alex is well versed in futility and broken pitching prospects. Which, fine, I understand. Maybe one or two. Progressive front offices, similar colors, and oh, Thames has played for them both! He is 32 years old, but hes hard not to root for especially because he plays the game with the lightheartedness of players like Adrian Beltre: Chang-mo Koo stymied hitters to the tune of a 3.20 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 114 strikeouts over 107.0 innings. 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.. For a team like the Lions thats trying to get younger, improvement and development in their youngsters will be crucial for their future. The Kia Tigers are sitting with an on-base percentage of .347 in addition to a batting average of .262 for the year. He has had relative success getting swings and misses in the big leagues, with strikeout rates between 18-22% from 2012-2018. PLUTKO Adam (LG) 15 2. Hiwoom->Kiwoom, Your email address will not be published. It also has new rules coming into place as early as next year that will increase the similarities with MLB. 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. Theres been a lot of drama, too, involving a top free agent, a medical issue, and boatloads of cash. Sill only 28, Kingham will look to reinvent himself in Korea, and has been named the Wyverns Opening Day starter. The bashing Dinos had their KBO-best 15th multihomer game Sunday; they are 15-0 in those affairs. KBO Leaders Batting, Pitching. Alas, the Wyverns will also be without him in 2020, as he secured a contract with the Yomiuri Giants of Japans NPB. It has been quite an interesting career path for the South Korean product. 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. This forward-thinking approach is supported by the Dinos hiring of Swiss Army knife front office member Patrick Bourgo, a SABR member who serves as the lone employee in KBO whose role is specifically to help foreign players adapt to Korea and bridge cultural barriers that have deterred previous foreign players. Koo Chang-mo, NC Dinos you picked as best pitcher was in the bullpen half the year, thats why innings so low. Expectations are clearly high for the Doosan Bears going into 2020. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. In 2019 he posted a K/9 rate of just 4.7, which for context is nearly identical to Brett Andersons 4.6 mark last season in the majors. Best KBO Picks Today Our experts preview all of the top KBO action, with full game analysis, stats, and betting trends included, we leave no stone unturned in our research. In 2019 the Wyverns posted an 88-55 (.615 win percentage) which was good for the best in the league, tied with their main rivals and eventual 2019 champion Doosan Bears. @fukudasun. In 20 years of existence, the Wyverns have made it to the championship series eight times. At 22 years old, with four KBO seasons under his belt, Go is a player to watch down the road as a possible MLB bullpen arm. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. When he was younger, he played first and third base, but has been stuck at first for the latter part of his career. There is still a lot of time between now and when he could be considered for a MLB role, but he could establish himself as a future MLB arm if he can keep improving in the KBO. They scored fewer runs per game and allowed more runs per game than any team in the KBO. They have fun young players like Eun-won Jung and Jin-hyuk Chang as well as veterans like Tae-kyun Kim and Woo-ram Chung. If three or more teams tie for first, the regular-season champion is decided by head-to-head record. Lotte has seen much less recent success than San Francisco, but in terms of current expectations and outlook, the two seem mighty familiar. Maddux is one of the most unique pitchers of all the greats. 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. Five players to watch in the KBO playoffs . They have a strong and passionate fan base and I would know: Ive been one since I visited Gwangju in 1996 and had the good fortune to watch them play at Gwangju Mudeung Baseball Stadium. His fastball averaged 95, and in the KBO he could dominate by just throwing a bunch of fastballs and some sliders, which feature late, two-plane movement. 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. Here are some important team pitching categories and rankings for the 2021 KBO season. Their analytics department may not be the best. Its unclear who will step up in 2020, but there will undoubtedly be a huge void to fill with Lindbloms departure. FanGraphs write-up on KBO 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. Its hard to determine who the best pitcher is in on the Twins, but its one of these two. 12. 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. Hyun-Jin Ryu, Shin-Soo Choo and. 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. The Tigers 2020 campaign will likely feature strong pitching, but will like only go as far as their batting can take them. Is he going to hit for power in 20? Their stadium Hanwha Life Insurance Eagles Park, but also referred to as Hanbat and Eagles Park is considered one of the most beautiful in the KBO and for good reason: Just look at the view. The good news: that once was quite recent. Saupold has a four-pitch arsenal: a four-seamer (90-92 mph), cutter (87-89), curveball (79-81), and change-up (85-87). The Twins' offense ranked poorly across the board with the 8th best batting average, 8th most runs, 9th most hits, 9th best on-base percentage, etc. 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. Seoul is the largest metropolis in South Korea (fourth largest in the world with over 9.7 million people) and is the capital city of South Korea. He spent six years in the Cubs system as an outfielder, but never managed to break through to the big leagues. NPB is starting up the earliest, on March 26, while the KBO is starting their season about a week later, on April 3. A transition across the diamond to first base is a common practice, but the aforementioned Romak has held down the position for the Wyverns over the last few seasons. Last year, the Heroes shocked everyone by making it all the way to the Korean Series where they were swept in four games by the Doosan Bears. In the early 2000s, the team won the Korean Series three out of five years, and more recently, the team went to six straight Korean Series and won four in a row between 2011 and 2014. Youll also find resources for learning more about the KBO, information on where you can watch the games, a GIF randomizer to help you choose your favorite team, and more! 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. Oh made his professional baseball debut with the Lions and pitched for them for nine seasons from 2005 to 2013 before moving to Japan, and eventually to the majors for four seasons. and play-by-play data provided by Sports Info Solutions. Asian crisis of 1998 affected the team hopes for big steps forward from 21-year-old Min Kim and Chung... > Kiwoom, your email address will not be published to break through to the big leagues our native.... Live game day coverage and more find success you might remember from his stint with Doosan... Had injury issues over the past two decades likely feature strong pitching, but it isnt measurable using publicly data. 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