The Kia Tigers’ stale lottery ticket is showing signs of winning.
There has been some good news on the Kia mound lately. Two pitchers who were lost in the first-team bullpen on opening day have been impressive in the fall. They are right-hander Yoo Seung-cheol (26) and left-hander Kim Ki-hoon (24). Yoo was the first overall pick in the 2017 season and Kim was the first overall pick in 2019. Yoo showed talent from the time he joined the team but never realized his potential.
Kim was highly praised by manager Sun Dong-yeol and entered the starting rotation as a rookie in 2019, but was hampered by pitching issues. His velocity dropped and his pitches were not catching. After retiring from the military, he briefly showed a 150-kilometer firefighter-grade fastball, raising expectations, but that was it. He was even criticized for regressing from last year.
Yoo Seung-chul also showed promise with his powerful fastball, going 1-1 with three saves and a 4.37 ERA in 39 games in 2018, his second year, but he was unable to establish himself in the first team. His two-pitch-oriented pitching pattern was not backed up by his changeup. When he returned from military service, he was not given a spot in the first team. He didn’t rebound this year either.
He was forgotten, but he came back.
There was a reversal. In June, Kia sent several of its pitchers, including Kim Ki-hoon and Yoo Seung-chul, to the United States for short-term study abroad programs during the season. Right-hander Kim Hyun-soo and rookies Cho Dae-hyun and Kim Min-jae also joined them. They received intensive training at Tread Athletics, a specialized training center in Charlotte. There, he learned how to develop his form and train to pitch optimally without getting injured.
Unexpectedly, the results were dramatic. Kim Ki-hoon and Yoo Seung-chul made noticeable changes to their pitching form after receiving customized suggestions from the training center. 토토사이트 Kim switched to pitching with both arms extended downward during windup. It was similar to the pitching style of Japanese left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (Houston Astros), who has 41 major league wins. Yoo throws with a forward motion without lifting his feet. His delivery was similar to that of Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Kim Ki-hoon’s pitches were noticeably better. On July 31, he returned to the first team for the first time this year. He struggled that day against the Gwangju Doosan, allowing three runs on one hit, four walks, and one hit batsman while striking out two. However, he allowed just four earned runs in his next 15 games. He showed his power with a strong fastball and a great changeup that even right-handed hitters can catch. He is expected to be utilized in the starting rotation and the closer role in the future.
On September 1,
A watershed moment in the regular season, Samsung Electronics’ pitching was dazzling. Coming back from a 1-5 deficit in the fifth inning, he pitched three innings of one-hit ball with two strikeouts and no walks, setting the stage for a comeback. Kia won two straight games against second-place Samsung to clinch the title. Kim Ki-hoon’s comeback was the difference maker. He is expected to play an important role in the Korean Series.
Compared to Kim, Yoo Seung-chul’s contributions have been minimal, but he’s certainly made a difference. He was called up on the 14th and pitched one inning in each of the three games, allowing no runs. His fastball averaged 148 mph and topped out at 150 mph. It looked like he had found something. He won’t make the Korean Series roster, but the changes he’s made are promising for next season.
Recently, the Kia Drift has become a winning force.
The 2020 first-round pick Jeong Jung-young has established himself as a 121-save closer, while 2021 first-round pick Lee Yi-ri won 10 games in back-to-back years in 2022 and 2023. The 2022 first-round pick, Kim Do-young, has developed into a 40-homer, 40-steal superstar. 2022 second-rounder Choi Ji-min has struggled this year, but was a dominant left-hander last year. 2023 first-rounder Yoon Young-chul, a left-hander, has been a mainstay in the starting rotation.
Now, even old lottery tickets are showing signs of winning. 2018 first-round pick Han Jun-soo, a catcher, has also struggled in his first six years in the organization. He was promoted to the first team in the middle of last year, and he was so dominant on offense that he practically booked a spot in the starting lineup. Even Kim Ki and Yoo Seung-cheol, who had been wandering around without a clue, have started to make an appeal. If the two pitchers become solid first-team options, KIA could become a sustainable powerhouse. Anything can go right for Kia these days.