Yoo Hee-Kwan (35) is a pitcher who has very difficult valuation. Doosan also has a headache.
Doosan is negotiating with internal free agent pitcher Yu Hee-gwan. The meeting was also held on the 11th, but both the club and the agent are in a fight. It is known that there is no other club that wants to sign.
The hilt is held by the club. However, it is not an easy negotiation. First of all, it is difficult to measure the future value. Yoo Hee-Kwan has won a double-digit multiplier for the last eight seasons (2013-20). This is a record that only 4 players have achieved in the history of the KBO League in 39 years. During this period, he won 97 wins (62 losses) and averaged 4.42 ERA. He is a starting pitcher who can expect more than 10 wins in the 2021 season.
There are concerns about aging. The 2020 season also won 10 wins (11 losses), but the average ERA (5.02) did not meet expectations. I also suffered from an injury to my left ankle. Since he started as a full-time starter, he recorded the lowest number of starts (27) and innings (136⅓ innings).
However, Yu Hee-gwan is not a type of overpowering the other with force. The average restraint of a fast ball is only in the early 130 km/h. Precise control and excellent number fighting are weapons. As we get older, we are concerned about muscle weakness, but it is relatively less affected.
Yoo Hee-Kwan received negative attention that his performance would drop whenever there were variables that affect his performance, such as the strike zone and the official ball rebound coefficient. Then, as if he were looking, he won more than 10 wins. In the 2018 season, he recorded an average ERA of 6 points (6.70). The league hitters were evaluated to have finished adjusting to his slow ball. However, in the 2019 season, where the interview was overwhelmed, Yoo Hee-gwan rebounded with an average ERA of 3.25.
Doosan showed last year that young pitchers such as Kim Min-gyu, Park Jong-ki, and Choi Won-jun can settle as starting pitchers. The expectation of the generation change was inflated. However, even Lee Young-ha, who won 17 wins in the 2019 season, struggled in the 2020 season, the second year of full-time starting, and moved to the finisher. Doosan’s starters still have anxiety. Yoo Hee-Kwan is an experienced starting pitcher.
Yoo Hee-Kwan played the most innings (1330⅓) among Doosan pitchers in the last 8 seasons (2013-20). The postseason team contribution is insignificant, but in the regular season, Doosan is the No. 1 contributor that led Doosan’s top ranking. Season 3 (2018-20) He is also a pitcher and mood maker.
It is difficult to get a multi-year contract for a pitcher over his mid-30s. Overpay is also difficult. However, it is still impossible to neglect Yoo Hee-gwan, a key player in the mound and franchise star. An official from the Doosan club said, “I want to finish the negotiations until the spring camp starts.”
Reporter Ahn Hee-soo