Ryu Hyun-jin, 'bottom 2% in MLB velocity', "My arm feels better after surgery" Confidence in recovery
Ryu Hyun-jin, last year's MLB fastball average was 142.6km per hour, and the average fastball velocity was 143km per hour at Hanwha in 2012.
The automatic ball decision system "will not be a problem if you adapt to the strike zone."
There are not many who doubt the performance of Ryu Hyun-jin (36), wearing the uniform of his former team, the Hanwha Eagles, in the KBO League in the 2024 season with a symbolic amount of 17 billion won over 8 years.
Even though he still has the ability to pitch as a starting pitcher in the American professional baseball Major League (MLB), he wore a Hanwha uniform to keep his promise to 'come back when I have strength.' 온라인카지노사이트
Although it is difficult to expect to pitch more than 200 innings in a season like in the past when playing in the KBO league in the early 20s, the general expectation in the baseball world is that 10 wins in a season is easy as long as you stay healthy.
However, some say that he will struggle surprisingly due to his history of undergoing left elbow ligament reconstruction (Tommy John) surgery in 2022 and his noticeably lower fastball velocity last year.
Commentator Song Jae-woo predicted, “It may not be as fast as when it was in its prime, but with an average speed in the low 140 km/h range, it will not be a problem on the Korean stage.”
He added, "It is true that last year, the first season after returning from rehabilitation after surgery, the velocity was the lowest. In
these cases, velocity often increases after one season has passed."
Ryu Hyun-jin, who returned to the big league mound in August of last year, recorded 3 wins, 3 losses, and an ERA of 3.46 in 11 games.
According to MLB statistics site 'MLB Baseball Savant', Ryu Hyun-jin's average four-seam fastball speed last year was 88.6 miles per hour (approximately 142.6 km), the lowest since entering the big leagues.
This figure ranks in the bottom 2% of big league pitchers last year.
But thanks to his exquisite pitch control, he at least didn't struggle with fastballs.
Ryu Hyun-jin's fastball score creation last season was 2 points, ranking in the top 46% of MLB.
Rather, it is a figure that is above the average.
Instead, perhaps because he had just completed rehabilitation, he struggled because his changeup control, which was his main weapon, did not obey instructions.
Various 'secondary data' on the batted balls that hit the pitch thrown by Ryu Hyun-jin show why Ryu Hyun-jin is still a 'decent starting pitcher in MLB.'
Exit speed' (87.8 mph), where the lower the better, was in the top 25%, allowing hard hits (exit speed over 95 mph, 36.8%) was in the top 35%, and inducing ground balls (46.2%) was in the top 29%.
In short, it means that fastball velocity, which is in the bottom 2% of MLB, was not a big problem in MLB.
If his velocity increases a little this year, which is his second season after returning from surgery, he will be able to face batters much more easily.
Ryu Hyun-jin met with reporters before departing through Incheon International Airport on the 23rd to join Hanwha's spring camp set up in Okinawa, Japan, and said, "My arm has become easier.
The second and third years after Tommy John surgery were the best for my arm."
“They say it’s comfortable.
I’m also improving (my physical condition) smoothly and comfortably,” he said, expressing confidence.
In fact, Ryu Hyun-jin was not a fastball pitcher in the KBO League.
Although he can throw a ball exceeding 150 kilometers per hour, he saves his power except in extreme situations.
This is because he was able to catch the batter without having to throw hard.
In 2012, the last season that Ryu Hyun-jin played for Hanwha, the average speed based on the PTS of Sports2I, the KBO League's official record company, was only 143 km/h.
There is not much difference from the average velocity in MLB last year, which was the 'lowest of all time'.
Ryu Hyun-jin's highest speed in 2012 was 152.1 km/h.
Rather than restraint, the Automatic Strike System (ABS) may act as a variable for Ryu Hyun-jin.
ABS, which will be introduced in earnest in the KBO League this season, is an unknown world that Ryu Hyun-jin has never experienced in the United States.
Commissioner Song said that for players with good control, ABS is like 'two sides of the same coin' and pointed out, "Whether they knew it or not, players with good control benefited from the referee's decision."
Instead, the moment Ryu Hyun-jin, who boasted one of the best commanding skills in MLB, fully grasps the 'edge of the strike zone' set by ABS, batters have no choice but to be left helpless.
Commissioner Song predicted, "Ryu Hyun-jin is also experiencing ABS for the first time, and if he takes the ball out and puts it back in little by little, it won't be a big problem.
The priority is to get a feel for it through demonstration games."
Ryu Hyun-jin also predicted that ABS itself would not be a big problem once he adapts to the strike zone.
He said, "The first thing to do is to understand the zone.
Once you get a feel for that, you will be able to adapt well."
The KBO League will pilot a 'pitch clock' that places a time limit on pitching in the first half of this year, and will decide whether to fully introduce it in the second half of the year.
Pitch Clock showed confidence because Ryu Hyun-jin had experience in MLB last year.
The key is the introduction of the 'pitch com', an electronic device for the catcher and pitcher to exchange signs.
Ryu Hyun-jin explained, "It won't be greatly affected (by the Pitch Clock pilot operation).
If you use Peach.com, it will be easier.
If you can't use Pitch.com, I think it will be a little difficult."
