The Major League Baseball (ML) Pittsburgh Pirates are attracting attention as the next destination for Ryu Hyun-jin (36).
American media Just Baseball gave its forecast for this offseason on the 18th (Korean time), saying, “Pittsburgh’s future is bright, and with just a few moves, they can compete for a spot in the National League (NL) playoffs next year.”
This year, Pittsburgh ranked 4th in the NL Central Division with 76 wins and 86 losses, 16 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers (92 wins, 70 losses), which ranked first in the division. At the end of April, they showed signs of collapse, taking first place in the district with 20 wins and 9 losses, but starting with 8 wins and 18 losses in May, they continued to slide downward, failing to hit a .500 win rate once a month until September. .메이저사이트
However, this performance exceeded expectations and broke the expectation that the team would rank last in the district due to rebuilding. Just Baseball said, “Pittsburgh posted the most wins since the 2018 season, far exceeding the number of wins expected before the season. Amid a rebuild, Pittsburgh built a strong foundation last winter and took off this year without star shortstop O’Neal Cruz.” evaluated.
There were still many areas lacking in order to achieve better results, and one of them was the starting rotation, which had no reliable players other than Mitch Keller (27). Selected in the second round of the 2014 rookie draft, it was not until this year, the fifth year since his debut, that Keller established himself as an ace with 13 wins, 9 losses, an ERA of 4.21, and 210 strikeouts in 194⅓ innings. In addition, Johan Oviedo (25) went 9-14 with an ERA of 4.31, and Rich Hill (43), who was traded to the San Diego Padres during the season, went 7-10 with an ERA of 4.76 and pitched more than 100 innings.
Ryu Hyun-jin was mentioned as one of the free agent players who will anchor the starting rotation, along with Jordan Montgomery (Texas Rangers), Frankie Montas, and Luis Severino (New York Yankees). Just Baseball said, “The most expensive player listed is Montgomery. He has been a key piece of the Texans’ mound, and will have a lot of teams looking for him this winter. If so, I’m not sure Pittsburgh would be willing to spend the money it would cost to secure him.” “Then there are less expensive, but more risky starting options.”
Ryu Hyun-jin is a player who fits this description perfectly. Ryu Hyun-jin, 36 years old, returned this season after undergoing the second elbow ligament joint surgery (Tommy John surgery) in his career last year. Under Toronto’s management, he left with a record of 3 wins, 3 losses, and an ERA of 3.46 in 11 games, preferably without going more than 6 innings. Considering that this is his first season back after Tommy John surgery, his performance is not bad, but it is also true that there is a risk considering his age and surgery history.
Another media outlet Rum Bunter also selected Ryu Hyun-jin as the first of the five best free agent starting pitchers that Pittsburgh could recruit on the 16th. First, Rum Bunter said, “The veteran Korean player (Ryu Hyun-jin) had a strong walk rate of 6.3%, but a meager 17% strikeout rate and an even worse number of home runs per 9 innings (1.54).” I listed my career history and this year’s grades. However, he evaluated, “Ryu Hyun-jin’s ratio of home runs to fly balls exceeded his career figure by only 4%. Even if he does not play the role of an ace like he did at his peak, we can still expect a pitcher with a decent ERA of 3.80.”
Their explanation is that it is not a bad choice for Pittsburgh, which has few experienced veterans and no mid-level starting pitcher to ensure a stable season. Pittsburgh has already brought in the 43-year-old Hill, which has helped them maintain their starting rotation, and at the trade deadline, they traded Choi Ji-man (32) to San Diego, acquiring three prospects.
If this scenario becomes a reality, we can see Ryu Hyun-jin throwing and Bae Ji-hwan (24) blocking from behind in Pittsburgh next year. Bae Ji-hwan recorded a batting average of 0.231, 2 home runs, 32 RBIs, 54 runs, 24 stolen bases, an on-base percentage of 0.296, a slugging percentage of 0.311, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.608 in 111 games this season, his first year as a full-time player. While he is expected to be a key player next season, Ryu Hyun-jin’s will to remain in the major league is also firm. According to Canadian media outlet Sportsnet’s Nicholson-Smith, Ryu Hyun-jin has confirmed that he wants to sign a contract with a major league team next season. Ryu Hyun-jin returns home through Incheon International Airport on this day (18th), takes a rest, and aims to remain in the Major League next season.