2009 KBO Season Primer

Written by: Matthew Dewoskin on 5th April 2009

2009 KBO Season Primer | read this item

1.SK Wyverns

The two-time defending KBO champions are looking to become the 2nd three-peat in KBO history(the ’86-’89 Haitai Tigers won 4 championships in a row). This team is lead by the best pitching staff, top to bottom, in the KBO and a solid lineup. 2008 KBO MVP is the ace of the staff and looks to pick up where he left off last year. The 21-year old ace finished 16-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 162 innings last year. Chae Byeong-yong figures as the Wyverns #2 starter. Chae finished with a 10-2 record and 2.70 ERA last season. Jeong Dae-hyeon will be the team’s closer this year. In 2008, he saved 20 games with a 2.67 ERA in 50 appearances. Journeymen CJ Nitkowski and Mike Johnson figure to round out the SK rotation.

At the plate, the Wyverns will be lead by 22-year old third baseman, Choi Jeong. Choi lead the team in hitting with a .328 batting average. He also posted an .890 OPS in only his third full season in the KBO. Centerfielder Park Jae-hong should also play a key role in the middle of the SK lineup this year. He lead the team with a .958 OPS and 19 homers last year. SK doesn’t swing for the fences. This is a patient, disciplined offense that wears down the opposition. 7 SK regulars posted an OBA of over .370 last season.

The burning question: Is this team still hungry? They’ve won the league championship twice without much competition. Kim Kwang-hyeon has already reached the pinnacle of success in the KBO. Is there anything left for these guys to prove in Korea?

2. Lotte Giants

In 2007, the Giants were essentially a laughingstock. They had talent on the roster, but the team lacked direction and wandered to a 7th place finish. That winter, they replaced their manager with the first foreign manager in the KBO, Jerry Royster. Things changed right away. The Giants started winning. Royster managed to instill a positive attitude in this talented roster and it paid off. The Giants finished 3rd last year, but sputtered in the opening round of the playoffs against an over-achieving Samsung Lions team.

The Lotte Giants boast a solid top 3 in their rotation. 34-year old ace Son Min-han doesn’t have the velocity to blow hitters away, but he is capable of changing speeds and keeping most hitters in the KBO off balance. He finished last year with a 12-4 record in 26 starts. He worked 179 innings with a 2.97 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. #2 starter Song Seung-jun finished 12-7 over 26 starts. Song threw 153 1/3 innings with a 3.76 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. #3 Jang Won-jun finished 12-10 over 26 starts. In Jang’s155 2/3 innings, he posted a career best 3.53 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. Lotte has added foreign ringer, Jon Adkins, to stabilize the backend of the bullpen. The bullpen the achilles heel in the ’08 Giants. No one stepped up to be the lights out reliever that they needed. The Giants hope Adkins can be that kind of pitcher.

The Lotte Giants have a deep and deadly lineup. The same group from last year is back plus catcher/DH Hong Seong-heun was signed as a free agent from Doosan. Hong enjoyed a career year in 2008 with a a .331 batting average and .812 OPS over 423 AB’s. He figures to see more time at DH with the Giants. Karim Garcia is back for another season with the Giants. Garcia lead the team with 30 homers, 111 RBI and an .894 OPS. You also might recognize a few Lotte Giants from the WBC. Chubby third baseman Lee Dae-ho and catcher Kang Min-ho both saw action for the 2009 WBC team and will be key members of this Lotte squad.

The Burning Question: Can they find anyone to bridge the gap between their starters and Jon Adkins?

3. Doosan Bears

Last season the Doosan Bears clawed their way to a 2nd place finish despite not having a single starting pitcher reach double digit wins. 16 different pitchers started for Doosanlast year. Doosan made it to the Korean Series, only to lose in 6 games to SK.

Lee Hye-chan started 22 games and relieved in 15 others. He finished the year with a 7-3 record. His ERA was 4.69 and his WHIP was at 1.40 in 109 1/3 innings. Kim Myeong-jae figures to have a larger role in the ’09 Bears pitching staff. In 2008, Kim made 17 starts and 5 relief appearances. He posted a 3.81 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 111 innings. Former Boston Red Sox, Kim Sun-woo spent most of 2008 moving between the rotation and the disabled list. Kim finished with a 6-7 record in 21 starts. He had a 4.25 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP in 101 2/3 innings. He’ll probably be the #3 or #4 starter this season. Veteran Matt Randel has already been sent home for the season due to an undisclosed injury.

In 2008, Kim Dong-ju had a solid season at third base for the Bears. Kim lead the team with 19 homers and 104 RBI. Kim posted a .916 OPS in 363 at bats. For the second consecutive season Kim tried and failed to make the jump to the NPB. As good as Kim is at the plate, he’s not quick enough in the field to play third base everyday in the NPB. The only other new addition that should have any impact on the 2009 season is foreign ringer, Matt Watson. Matt figures to play right field and provide some protection for the big bats in the Doosan lineup. Left fielder, Lee Hyeon-su lead the KBO in hitting last year with a .357 batting average. Lee drove in 89 runs and scored 83 runs. He also completely choked in the Korean Series. In Doosan’s last two losses to SK, Kim grounded into game ending double plays in both. To be fair, Kim is still only 21 years old and this was his first full season in a run producing role.

The Burning Question: Who is going to fill the void left by Matt Randel?

4. Hanwha Eagles

Ryu Hyeon-jin is one of the guys worth knowing in the KBO. Ryu finished last year with a 14-7 record in 26 starts. He struck out 143 batters in 165 2/3 innings. He walked only 67 hitters last year. He posted a 3.31 ERA with a 1.27 WHIP. He’s left-handed and he just celebrated his 22nd birthday. Last year was his 3rd KBO season, so only 6 more until free agency! The clock is ticking!

Brad Thomas finished 2nd in the league with 31 saves last season. He was the one reliever that manager Kim In-sik could always count on. He threw 63 1/3 innings in 59 games last year. In those 63 1/3 innings, he struck out exactly 63 batters. Hanwha has to be thrilled that he’s returning for another season. Yoon Gyu-jin and Koo Dae-seong are a nice righty, lefty combo, but they’re not exactly shut down relievers.

Leading this team in the field is WBC star Kim Tae-kyun. Kim lead the KBO in homers(31) and OPS(1.039). If Hanwhahad qualified for the playoffs, the slugging first baseman would have been in the mix for the MVP award. Protecting Kim this year will be foreign ringer Victor Diaz. Diaz should man right field for the Eagles and bat behind Kim in the lineup. Diaz is really intriguing as a middle of the order prescence in the KBO. In just under 500 career MLB AB’s, Diaz has 24 homers. He’s coming off a 24 homer, 100 RBI season at AAA. Third baseman Lee Beom-ho is a nice power/speed guy. He finished last year with double-digit homers and stolen bases with an .844 OPS in 434 AB’s. DH Kim Tae-won also posted a solid season last year. He clubbed 23 homers with 73 RBI and a .850 OPS. Both Lee Beom-ho and Kim Tae-gyun are free agents after this season.

Burning Question: Who is going to pitch when Ryu and Thomas are on the bench?

5. Samsung Lions

The Lions clawed their way to a 4th place finish last year. They’ll be lucky to finish 5th this year. Since winning championships in ’05 and ’06, this team has gotten old in a hurry. KBO vets Park Jin-man, Jin Kab-yong and Yang Jun-hyeok could find themselves as part time players this year. These could be the “Get-To-Know-Your-Lions.” The Lions have a solid bullpen with Oh Seung-hwan closing and Kwon Hyeok as his top set up man. Oh just missed his 3rd consecutive season of 40+ saves. He finished with 39. Kwon is a big power lefty that has served as an excellent bridge to the 9th inning. The starting rotation should be deeper this year with Runelvys Hernandez and Francisco Cruceta eating up innings.

The Burning Question: Can this team rebuild AND stay competitive?

6. Seoul Heroes

This is the team that lost their sponsor last year. IF this team can complete the year without folding, they should be solid. They boast a nice 1-2 punch in their starting rotation with lefties Ma Il-yeong and Jeong Won-sam. The middle of the Heroes lineup is solid with KBO vets Doug Clark and Cliff Brumbaugh hitting 3rd and 4th.

The Burning Question: Will this team fold?

7. KIA Tigers

This team was possibly the most hyped team in the league last season…and they fell flat on their faces. The Tigers brought in former Chicago Cub Choi Hee-seop and former Tampa Bay Devil Ray, Seo Jae-wong. They also signed former 21-game winner, Jose Lima. Choi almost ate his way out of the league. Seo wasn’t that bad, but had trouble staying healthy and Lima was released in July.

Now, there is little hype surrounding this club. The only pitcher really worth mentioning is WBC star, Yoon Seok-min. Yoon finished the year 14-5 in 24 starts. In his 154 2/3 innings, he struck out 119 and walked 46. His ERA ended at 2.05 and his WHIP was a solid 1.05. If he pitched for any other team(except LG) he would have been in contention for the MVP award.

Burning Question: Can this team stay out of the cellar?

8. LG Twins

This team has an awful offense and a mediocre pitching staff. The only bright spot for this team last year was WBC hero, Bong Jung-geun. In 28 starts, Bong finished with a 11-8 record. In his league best 186 1/3 innings, he struck out 140 and walked 80. He ended the year with a 2.66 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Behind Bong is Australian innings eater Chris Oxspring and not much else.

At the plate, the Twins have the most anemic offense in the league. Roberto Petagine should add some punch, but he won’t see very many pitches this year with this supporting cast. This team needs a “reboot.”

The Burning Question: Will this team win a game?

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Topics: doosan bears, hanwha eagles, kia tigers, korea baseball, lg twins, lotte giants, samsung lions, seoul heroes, sk wyverns

Once Upon My Mind: Gwynn, Molitor, Ichiro, and the Optimism of Spring – Ducksnorts says:

March 29, 2010 at 9:19 am

[...] big-league level.” Oxspring last pitched in North America for Nashville in 2007. I believe he spent last season in Korea and pitched reasonably well (I don’t read the language, so I’m not sure about that last [...]