Expectations are high for the two foreign pitchers of SSG Landers. However, health and adaptation will be the key.
SSG’s new foreign pitcher, Eni Romero, started pitching in the bullpen on the 7th. It was my first bullpen pitching. After pitching, Romero said, “Today, I focused on learning how to pitch on the mound. In addition to the fastball, he threw a breaking ball and had a process of feeling the first KBO league official ball with his fingertips.”
Pitching coach Jo Ung-cheon, who watched Romero pitching, said, “I haven’t pitched with all my strength yet, but I felt that the fastball and breaking ball had good overall strength and movement. In particular, the ball is stable, and the sense of throwing the ball seems excellent. He analyzed that he is looking forward to pitching in the future.”
On the 3rd, another new foreign pitcher, Kirk McCarty, pitched in the bullpen for the first time. At the time, McCarty raised expectations for a successful season by throwing a fastball with a maximum speed of 146 km/h.
At the time, coach Cho said, “I haven’t used 100% of my power yet at the beginning of the camp, but I felt that McCarty’s fastball was good.” Overall, he received an image as a pitcher whose pitching was stable and his strength was the pitching of the ball.”
At the time of Romero’s recruitment, SSG said, “The biggest advantage is the ability to put pressure on batters with a fastball exceeding 150 km/h and a breaking ball that comes out of the same height as a fastball. Evaluate that you have Also, with his amicable personality and great work ethic, we expect him to adapt quickly to the team.”
At the time of McCarty’s recruitment, “It was judged that he was a left-handed starting pitcher who could digest long innings with a fastball with an average speed of 148 km/h and a fast arm swing and a high-quality breaking ball. “I decided to recruit this year.”
However, the chances of success for the two new foreign pitchers are cautious. Because they have had a failure experience. SSG recruited Ivan Nova as a new foreign pitcher last year.
At the time, Nova was highly anticipated as a player with 90 wins (77 losses) in the major leagues. At the time of Nova’s recruitment, the club said, “From 2010 to 2020, in the major leagues for 11 seasons, he played more than 150 innings in a total of six seasons, including two pitches for the most innings in a season (187 innings, 2017 and 2019), and as a starting pitcher He showed his steady skills.”
It was good until the camp and the exhibition game. However, in the regular season, Nova fell short of expectations. He got some redemption, but he couldn’t adapt to the KBO league. He was shaken by the strike zone decision and was not clearing up about his health problems. 메이저놀이터
Nova seemed to lead the SSG starting lineup as a powerful ‘one-two punch’ with Wilmer Font, who was serving as the first starter. However, the companionship of Nova and SSG did not last long. In the end, the club released Nova and recruited Sean Morimando as a new foreign pitcher to finish the season.
In the end, the key is whether you can adapt well to the KBO league in a healthy way. SSG’s new foreign pitchers, such as Romero and McCarty, had a good first impression of the camp. However, it remains to be seen whether they can live up to expectations until the end.