‘Yang Hyeon-jong’s vacant seat’ Tiger Corps,’finding native ace’ task occurred [MK시선]

Maekyung.com MK Sports Reporter Ahn Juncheol

Now the person to go is gone. KIA Tigers must now find a new native ace.

On the 30th, KIA announced the end of negotiations with Yang Hyeon-jong (33). It was the last meeting with the Ace, who prioritized the major league challenge. The deadline was already delayed by 10 days from the 20th to the 30th. Recently, interest in Yang Hyeon-jong declined as the market situation in the major leagues shrank in the aftermath of a novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19). Accordingly, KIA was confident in signing a contract with Hyunjong Yang. It was in the same vein that the final negotiation was delayed by ten days. It was an atmosphere of betting large sums while building up the pride of Ace Yang Hyun-jong.

However, as Yang Hyeon-jong decided to challenge his dreams rather than reality, KIA immediately lost one of the clear starting pitchers in the 2021 season. Matt Williams’ spring camp has also emerged as a hot topic to find a new starting pitcher.

Yang Hyeon-jong is not simply one of the starting pitchers. It is the left-handed ace that will remain in the history of Tigers. Hyeonjong Yang, who graduated from Dongsung High School in Gwangju in 2007 and joined KIA in the first round of the second rookie draft, recorded an average ERA of 147 wins 95 losses and an ERA of 3.83 over the past 14 seasons. From the 2014 season to the 2020 season, they won more than double digits each season. In the 2017 season, when KIA achieved a combined victory, it also stepped on the 20 wins (6 losses) mark, which is the measure of ace.

In the Asian Games and Premier 12, Yang Hyeon-jong showed the appearance of the national ace. In the international stage, he also wore the Taegeuk mark and served as a definite selection card.

KIA recruited a clear foreign ace named Aaron Brooks (31) in the 2020 season when Williams took over. Although Yang Hyeon-jong was sluggish in the 2020 season, KIA’s high-ranking performance was guaranteed if the two played a pivotal role in the selection because he won 11 wins. In addition, Daniel Mengden, who is the highest in name value among new foreign players entering Korea this winter, was recruited, and the starting line was thickened.

However, as Yang Hyeon-jong leaves the team, KIA must find a new selection resource, especially the player who should serve as an ace among the native selection. First, it is highly likely that Lim Ki-young (28) and Lee Min-woo (28), who kept the starting rotation last season, will take the place. The remaining vacant seats include Hyunsik Jang (26) and Hyunsoo Kim (21), who were recruited through a trade last year, and more. Among the left-handers, names such as Kim Yoo-shin (22) and newcomer Lee Eui-ri (19) who returned from the military are mentioned.

The ideal balance is that the left-handed pitcher is reinforced in the starting line due to the departure of left-handed Hyun-jong Yang, but it is urgent to find a native ace that will be the center of the selection. Lim Ki-young is a stable starting card. Lim Ki-young played 25 games and won 9 games last season only as a starter. Unfortunately, he failed to achieve the first two-digit multiplier, but he recorded an average ERA of 5.15 at the highest dining (127⅔ innings) in his personal career. I had a season that could be called a career high season. Now, Ki-young Lim, who is aiming for his first double-digit victory, should play a central role in the domestic pitching team, even though it is as difficult as Yang Hyun-jong.

Lee Min-woo also experienced trial and error as a starting pitcher, but it seems like it has become a good experience. Lee Min-woo, who achieved an average ERA of 6.79 with a 6-10 loss in the 2020 season, needs to reinforce the physical part of the goal that increases goals with the addition of innings.

It is KIA’s 2021 season that it is important for the native selection resources to gain experience and prepare a foothold to grow into an ace. We have no choice but to hope for the appearance of an ace that will support the powerful foreign one-two punch. It is KIA where Yang Hyunjong’s vacancy may be larger than expected. A big puzzle emerged in KIA’s 2021 season. [email protected]

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