With the enlistment of Kim Taek-hyung and Jang Ji-hoon, there was a gap in the SSG bullpen. Other lefties and sidearms should fill their positions.
SSG Landers left-handed pitcher Kim Taek-hyung recorded 3 wins, 5 losses, 17 saves, 10 holds, and 33 runs (33 ERA) in 60⅓ innings with an average ERA of 4.92 in 64 games last season. He performed well through May, recording 15 saves, but was injured in mid-May. Afterwards, Seo Jin-yong, who played the finishing role, showed a stable appearance, and Kim Taek-hyung changed his position to a relief pitcher. Kim Taek-hyung posted average ERAs of 7.56 and 8.76 in June and September, respectively, but in the Korean Series, 5 games, 1 win, 1 hold, 5⅓ innings, 0 runs (0 ERA), 2 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, proved to be an indispensable presence for SSG. Proved. However, as he enlisted ahead of this season, Kim Taek-hyung’s position was vacant.
There is also Jang Ji-hoon, a sidearm enlisted with Kim Taek-hyung. In 2021, from his debut season, Jang Ji-hoon recorded an average ERA of 3.92 in 60 games, 2 wins, 5 losses, 1 save, 10 holds, 80⅓ innings, 40 runs (35 earned runs). In the 2022 season, he scored 40 games, 2 wins, 6 holds, 55 innings, 26 runs (26 earned run average) with an ERA of 4.25, which was disappointing compared to his debut season.
There are two players who are sweating heavily to fill the vacant positions of the two bullpen pitchers. Lefty Kim Tae-hoon and sidearm Park Min-ho. Director Kim Won-hyung, who met with reporters at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Florida, USA, said, “(Park) Min-ho and (Kim) Tae-hoon didn’t even make it to the Korean Series last year, and there were ups and downs. There were many bad situations.” Taehoon and Minho have to do better than what they have done so far.”메이저놀이터
Lefty Kim Tae-hoon joined SK Wyverns, the predecessor of SSG, in 2010 and continues to play for one team. Kim Tae-hoon showed the best performance in the 2018 season with 61 games (4 starts) 9 wins, 3 losses, 10 holds, 94 innings, 44 runs (40 ERA) and an average ERA of 3.83. In the Korean Series, he led SK to the championship with an average ERA of 1.17 in 4 games, 1 win, 2 holds, 7⅔ innings, 1 run (1 ERA). Since then, Kim Tae-hoon has played more than 50 innings every season until the 2021 season, but suffered a slump last season. He had a 10.13 earned run average of 9 games, 1 hold, 2 saves, 5⅓ innings, 6 runs (6 earned), and hadn’t been seen on the first team stage since early June.
Kim Tae-Hoon got his mind right ahead of this season. Kim Tae-hoon said, “In December, I almost lived at SSG Landers Field in Incheon. In January, I focused on training in warm Japan, Kagoshima.” Director Kim Won-hyung said, “Tae-hoon’s eyes have completely changed. Tae-hoon, who used to be playful, is playing baseball very seriously.”
This season is an important season for Kim Tae-hoon. He has to prove his worth by filling the void left by Kim Taek-hyung. Kim Tae-hoon said, “Irrespective of whether (Kim) Taek-hyung is present or not, I have to prepare well in the off-season to secure a place in the first team. If we show a good image, we will be able to step out into the winning group.”
Park Min-ho, who recorded an average ERA of 4.09 in 22 matches last season, 1 win, 1 loss, 1 save, 4 holds, 22 innings, 10 runs (10 ERA), is also making extraordinary preparations ahead of this season. He directly mounts the tablet PC on a tripod and records his pitching video to analyze his pitching. Park Min-ho said, “I can’t get feedback during off-season. So I started filming myself.” “He explained why.
Can Kim Tae-hoon, whose eyes have changed, and Park Min-ho, who wants to improve by directly analyzing pitching videos, fill the vacancy left by Kim Taek-hyung and Jang Ji-hoon this season? If the two pitchers can bounce back from last season’s sluggishness, SSG’s bullpen concerns will likely be resolved.