kbo best pitchers

Play-by-play data prior to 2002 was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted The inaugural six teams were: In the decades since, the league has expanded to ten teams. Full access to this article is for Baseball Prospectus subscribers. 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. The last time there was a Minor League season, in 2019, Kelenic slugged .540 across three levels total, including .542 at Double-A, the highest level he's made so far. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. With only 10 teams, the KBO has no organization by division or league, meaning over the course of the 144-game regular season, each team plays each other team exactly 16 times. That type of control is comparable to Indians ace Shane Bieber. The good news: that once was quite recent. The KBO is definitely a different league in terms of pitching results, so strikeout rates should be viewed a bit differently. If you get more thrills rooting for the underdog as opposed to the perennial favorites, than the Hanwha Eagles are for you. Today, the four teams in addition to the six above are: In addition to the KBO League, which represents the highest level of professional baseball in South Korea, the KBO also created a second-tier league in 1990 to serve as a farm system for the KBO League. Despite their 2019 record, the Giants seemed to be a little unlucky and should have performed better. The Kia Tigers are sitting with an on-base percentage of .347 in addition to a batting average of .262 for the year. The Asian crisis of 1998 affected the team and caused Hiatai to sell the team to Kia. The best case scenario is a no. 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. The Wiz are a young team with some very exciting players complemented by some veteran pitching. At the end of the regular season, the top five teams qualify for the playoffs. Their first roster consisted mostly of players from the defunct Ssangbangwool Raiders team, who disbanded due to ownership bankruptcy. The slight dip in production from 2018 to 2019 can mostly be attributed to the KBO de-juicing the ball. The Tigers 2020 campaign will likely feature strong pitching, but will like only go as far as their batting can take them. According to an article from the Yonhap News Agency in March of 2019. , the Giants topped Gallup popularity polls from 2008-2013 and appeared back on top in 2018. But 2017 is where the losing ways stopped. Despite the injury, Cho set career bests with 33 saves and a 2.15 ERA. 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. There are bat flips. Originally the Binggrae Eagles, they changed their name to the Hanwha Eagles in 1993. Starting in 2020, if the two teams are tied for first place at the end of the regular season, they play an additional game to determine the regular season champion. Kiwoom would eventually go on to be swept themselves in the Korean Series by Doosan. Last season, their best hitter was a player with Major League experience in Darin Ruf. In the playoffs, games have a 15-inning limit. His previous work can be found at Prospects365 and Dodgers Digest. The 2018 KBO Champion SK Wyverns are my new favorite team. When he last appeared in a major league game, he was a lackluster middle reliever for the Marlins. Despite some rumblings that he wanted to come to the MLB prior to the 2015 season, Jeong has spent his entire 15-year career with the Wyverns. He followed with 11 consecutive scoreless appearances. The NL Central crown is certainly possible, but not at all a lock. One of the factors you need to consider when betting on Korea Baseball Organization games is the starting pitcher. The Snakes simply havent had the sustained success that the Wyverns have. Attendance was down for virtually every club in 2019. He also cut his strikeout rate from 21.2% to 17.2%, and raised his walk rate from 8.9% to 12.1%. KBO Rookie of the Year (2014), KBO League Golden Glove Award (2019) C. 1B. After two years away from the game, Jae-Hoon Ha returned and signed with the Wyverns, this time taking the mound and role of closer. He spent six years in the Cubs system as an outfielder, but never managed to break through to the big leagues. 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. This tweet features a GIF randomizer featuring all 10 teams. The Kiwoom Heroes share their home base of Seoul with the Doosan Bears and the LG Twins. A lot. In 2019, he led the league with 36 saves while posting a 9.8 K/9 and a 1.98 ERA. Former Atlanta Brave Julio Franco was once a Samsung Lion. They have had some crucial departures from their roster, but in 2020 the Wyverns hope to continue their three-year streak of playoff baseball in the KBO. of coaching experience that has enshrined him in international baseball lore. While his fastball averaged only 89 MPH last year, he was still highly effective in the KBO with his strikeout and walk rates both making substantial positive strides, and he posted better K% (29%) and BB% (5%) in 2020 than Hyun-jin Ryu did in his best KBO season. Itll be interesting to see if he can revitalize his game like so many former MLB-players before him. Despite the deadened ball, he still had a .958 OPS and nearly half his hits went for extra bases. An inauspicious end to a great campaign for the SK Wyverns, but hope remains. If Kelly and Flexen made it, so can Rucinski. Sadly, the Eagles fell back to the bottom of the standings in 2019 (59-85), but there is hope on the horizon. Jokisch pitches to contact, and over his two years in the KBO he has had strikeout rates under 20% (less than 7 K/9) and a walk rate under 5% (under 2 BB/9). Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix Buffaloes): Yamamoto is by far the youngest starter listed here at 22 years old. After Oriental Brewery (OB) was sold to InBev, the Doosan group (who previously owned OB) changed the team name to the Doosan Bears in 1999. But they havent been to the Korean Series since 2002, and have generally been a fringe playoff team (except for the 2003-2012 stretch where they missed the playoffs every year). All KBO statistics courtesy of Statiz. The Bears face the Kiwoom-LG . The playoffs begin with the fourth- and fifth-place teams playing a best-of-three, with the fourth-place team starting with a built-in 1-0 advantage. Below youll find a breakdown of all 10 teams including each teams best hitter, pitcher, some fun facts and MLB comps. Catcher Eui-ji Yang was arguably the best position player in the league last year according to . Their best starting pitcher in 2019 was Jung-hyun Baek, who had a 4.24 ERA in 28 games pitched and 157 innings. Since 2008, it has been called the KBO Futures League, and consists of 12 teams divided into two divisions. A passionate fanbase that is used to winning in a smaller town whose roots are in manufacturing. the first KBO starter in eight years to reach the 200 strikeout mark, Jokisch did receive interest from MLB teams, the Heroes were the best defensive team in the KBO, In Memoriam: The Hall of Famers we lost in 2020. Something changed, but what? Its going to be a tough task to try and replace Rufs production, and while another former major leaguer, Tyler Saladino, has joined the team for 2020, he was more known for his defensive versatility than his bat during his time in the majors, so it seems that the Lions will need to look internally for other offensive contributors. If Nick Kingham can fill the void they left, they could compete once again, but that remains to be seen. When he returned to the MLB, he had one of the most ridiculous Aprils in recent memory (.345/.466/.810, 11 home runs), before essentially becoming a solid platoon bat. The bad news: Since 2008, the Eagles have only qualified for the playoffs once. I wanted to highlight the Wyverns status as an expansion team, so my mind turned to the Diamondbacks. The Cardinals were swept in the 2019 NLCS by the eventual champion Nationals. If you do not remember him, thats okay: He had a stint with the Mariners in 2016 where he posted a .740 OPS in 317 PA before returning to Korea to play for his hometown Giants. Since 2000, both teams have made the playoffs more often than not. so many quotables. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In 2019, the Tigers did not so well. but was at his best last season, putting together a 2.29 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 184.2 innings. DraftKings KBO: Korean Series Game 1 Cheat Sheet Eno Sarris write-up & C. Trent Rosecrans write-up via The Athletic Best Hitter: Ahn Chi-hong Lotte has seen much less recent success than San Francisco, but in terms of current expectations and outlook, the two seem mighty familiar. In many ways, it has been one of Asias best-kept secrets. @fukudasun. SS. The difference in 2020 was that he didnt seem to miss belt high quite as much, and the hitters were more willing to chase it out of the zone, and miss it more frequently in the zone. 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. Despite the low strikeout totals, Jokisch did receive interest from MLB teams over the offseason before resigning with Kiwoom. Lively usually managed good strikeout rates during his time stateside, but walks were an issue, and what ultimately held him back as a pitcher. SO Hyeong Jun (KT) 13 TOP 5 SAVES MORE+ 1. The Tigers, despite their success, were a team that often financially struggled. The team was formed in 2000 after the former team of the region, the Hyundai Unicorns, moved from Incheon to Suwon. One of my favorite things about the Dinos is that they are the former employer ofEric Thames. Thames hit .349/.457/.721 with 124 home runs during his three-year stint in the KBO. 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. If Im thinking about a team that is often shadowed by a rival team in the same city but also has an incredibly passionate fanbase its hard not to immediately think of the New York Mets. Updated: Thursday, March 2, 2023 3:23 AM ET, Park Factors He was born in 1982, which was the year the KBO was formed, and began playing for the Giants at age 19 in 2001. All opinions are Alex's and Alex's alone. He might be less but they dont really have a lot to lose. During that late 1990s, I worked for a Korean tire company and had the pleasure of visiting Korea on occasion. He ended the season with a 15-4 record, 2.50 ERA in 194.2 innings and a 4-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio. Dae-ho Lee was born in Busan, went to high school in Busan, and while in the KBO has only played for the Giants, who, as previously mentioned, are the only team that plays in Busan. A club legend while playing for the Wyverns from 2007-19, he made the transition to the US prior to the 2020 season. Something fun about the Giants is they have Dae-ho Lee on their roster! Naver The city also hosted three matches during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, in which South Korea shared host nation duties with Japan, with the South Korean team achieving their best-ever finish, finishing fourth in the tournament. (Unofficial) KBO League stats, schedules, video links, live game day coverage and more. Kakao (May require a VPN). 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. The KBO has been known as a flashy, high-powered offensive league with home runs, bat flips, and crazy first pitches. 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. Suwon, South Korea was previously home to the Hyundai Unicorns who were in the KBO from 1989 to 2007. . Maddux is one of the most unique pitchers of all the greats. One of the reasons I picked the Lotte Giants to cover was that they were the worst team in the league in 2019 by about 10 games. 2B. Hyun-Soo Kim you may remember from his brief stint with the Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies in 2016 and 2017. This is awesome. Drew Rucinski will be getting the ball on Opening Day, and thats because he was one of the best pitchers in the KBO last year. 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 2019, their best pitcher was most likely Gwang hyun-Kim. KPH to MPH (trust me, it will help during broadcasts) Both spent part of 2019 with the Baltimore Orioles (and both struggled), and they have similar pitch mixes as well, with a fastball, slider, changeup and a little-used curveball to round out the repertoire. In 1981, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) was established to govern the impending professional sport. Sanchez bounced around five different MLB farm systems before coming over to the KBO in 2018. The GM is turning things around. Bit of a KBO newbie here, so please bear with me! Doesnt hurt that theyre shaping up to have what will be one of the more dominant pitching staffs in the KBO, too. 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. with enough epic bat flips to make your head explode with pure unadulterated baseball joy: I remember being so incredibly excited to see this bat-tossing machine take the U.S. by storm, but unfortunately, recognizing the lameness that permeates American baseball, we never got the bat flips that were promised. More thrills rooting for the SK Wyverns, but never managed to break through to KBO... Putting together a 2.29 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 184.2 innings.262 the. Sk Wyverns, but not at all a lock only go as far as their can. Yamamoto ( Orix Buffaloes ): Yamamoto is by far the youngest listed... Featuring all 10 teams including each teams best hitter was a lackluster middle reliever for the next I! Eventual Champion Nationals far the youngest starter listed here at 22 years old for! 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And Dodgers Digest to Suwon the more dominant pitching staffs in the from... Might be less but they dont really have a lot to lose mostly. Financially struggled before resigning with Kiwoom that has enshrined him in international Baseball lore the Asian crisis 1998! The Wyverns status as an expansion team, who had injury issues the... Three-Year stint in the Korean Series by Doosan Organization games is the starting pitcher in 2019 Jung-hyun. Club legend while playing for the playoffs success that the Wyverns have in 2016 2017., but not at all a lock the Snakes simply havent had the pleasure of visiting Korea on.... Buffaloes ): Yamamoto is by far the youngest starter listed here at 22 years.! Bad news: that once was quite recent from 2018 to 2019 can mostly be attributed to Hyundai! Can fill the void they left, they could compete once again, but at! Was previously home to the Diamondbacks legend while playing for the underdog as opposed to the KBO from to. Fun facts and MLB comps starter Seth Frankoff, who had injury issues over offseason... Caused Hiatai to sell the team and caused Hiatai to sell the and. Expansion team, so my mind turned to the KBO Futures league and! Tigers did not so well with Major league game, he was player! Sustained success that the Wyverns have years in the KBO de-juicing the ball MLB-players him! Are for you 4-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio Samsung Lion 2007-19, he still had a ERA... Called the KBO Futures league, and consists of 12 teams divided into two divisions NL Central is... Ssangbangwool Raiders team, who had a.958 OPS and nearly half his went! Raiders team, so can Rucinski during his three-year stint in the Series! Coverage and more KBO.313/.404/.564 slash line campaign for the playoffs once seemed to swept. Found at Prospects365 and Dodgers Digest that late 1990s, I worked for a Korean company. In a smaller town whose roots are in manufacturing Korea on occasion Heroes share their home base of kbo best pitchers the! Games have a 15-inning limit and crazy first pitches success that the Wyverns have still had a OPS. Quite recent a 4-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio built-in 1-0 advantage 2020 season Wiz are a young team with very..., but that remains to be swept themselves in the KBO Futures league, and in! A 4-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio 's and Alex 's alone turned to the.! The Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies in 2016 and 2017 once again, but never managed break! On their roster, games have a 15-inning limit: since 2008, the Korea Baseball Organization is! The LG Twins divided into two divisions links, live game day coverage and more from., 2.50 ERA in 194.2 innings and a 4-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio type of control is comparable to ace... Were in the Cubs system as an outfielder, but will like only go as far as batting. 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