In 2024, the year of the Blue Dragon (甲辰年), professional baseball is drawing keen attention to the performance of stars born in the year of the dragon from veterans born in 1988 to emerging in 2000.
In particular, veterans born in 1988 are determined to recover their honor by receiving the energy of the blue dragon in one body.월카지노
Kim Kwang-hyun (SSG) and Yang Hyun-jong (KIA), who have been playing as left-handed pitchers representing the national team and the KBO League for a long time, will try to recover their honor this year.
Both players failed to achieve double-digit wins last season, and the team also left a somewhat disappointing report card.
Kim played in 30 games in the 2023 season, posting nine wins, eight losses and an earned run average of 3.53. He had 13 wins, three losses and an earned run average of 2.13 in the previous season, but failed to continue his momentum due to shoulder pain and left disappointing report card.
His team SSG went straight to the semi-playoff in the third place in the regular season, but was eliminated in a hurry after losing three consecutive games to the NC Dinos, and Kim Kwang-hyun, who started Game 2, lost face with five hits and four runs in three innings.
KIA ace Yang Hyun-jong also had the most sluggish report card in recent years last year.
Yang Hyun-jong, who played in 29 games, recorded 9 wins, 11 losses and a 3.58 ERA, and KIA failed to advance to the fall baseball due to the ace’s poor performance.
On the batter’s side, attention is being paid to whether Kim Hyun-soo (LG), a “hitting machine,” will be able to regain his former prestige.
Kim contributed to LG’s overall win this season, but his personal performance was rather disappointing. He hit .233 with a batting average of 0.293 during the regular season, and only garnered six homeruns. The performance is somewhat disappointing considering that he was mostly designated hitter. He was sluggish with a batting average of 0.238 in the Korean Series as well.
In addition, attention is focusing on whether veterans such as Choi Joo-hwan (Kium) and Lee Jae-won (Hanwha), who were born in 1988, who were classified as out of power at SSG, and Kim Min-sung, who are still uncontracted, will be able to show off their robustness.
If veterans born in 1988 are spending the second half of their careers, there are now many stars born in 2000 who will play a pivotal role in Korean professional baseball.
The most representative player is Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha), who has emerged as the new national team’s fourth batter.
Hanwha’s next-generation powerhouse Noh Si-hwan hit 0.298 with 31 home runs and 101 RBIs in 2023, sweeping the home run king and RBI king.
In addition, he contributed to the gold medal by playing as the fourth batter of the national team at the Hangzhou Asian Games in September, and continued to play at the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) after the season to stand out on the international stage.
Moon Bo-kyung, who led the LG Twins to an integrated victory in 29 years, is also a notable dragon born in 2000.
Moon Bo-kyung had a batting average of 0.301 and 10 home runs in the 2023 season. Having secured the position as LG’s main third baseman, Moon was also selected to the national team for the Hangzhou Asian Games, leading Korea to win four consecutive games in the Asian Games.
On the pitcher’s side, Won Tae-in draws attention.
Won took charge of 150 innings in 26 games during the 2023 season, and posted a good performance with an ERA of 3.24. He only garnered seven wins (seven losses) due to lack of luck in his team’s winnings, but he displayed robust performance as a member of the national team.
Won Tae-in, who stood out by achieving his career high with 14 wins (7 losses) in 2021, has become a regular member of the national team, starting with the World Baseball Classic in March last year, the Hangzhou Asian Games in September, and the Asian Professional Baseball Championship in November.
The stars born in the year of the dragon in 2000 will join forces to win the Premier 12 in November this year.