Already, the starting lineup was the strongest in the league. However, the team has become stronger. There is no room for promising players who were expected to grow into starting pitchers. Chances are high that these players, who even spent time studying in Australia and the U.S., will start the season in the bullpen.스포츠토토
Samsung built a solid starting lineup last year than any other team. As many as three pitchers have achieved double-digit wins. Won Tae-in, who won the most wins, won 15 games, while foreigners including Conor Seabold and Denny Reyes won 11 games apiece. Baek Jung-hyun added six wins and left-hander Lee Seung-hyun six wins to lead Samsung to second place in the regular season. Samsung's starting pitchers showed impressive performance, as evidenced by the fact that manager Park Jin-man said, "Our team was able to achieve good results thanks to our starting pitchers."
However, the bullpen was unstable. The limitations of the bullpen, which had been revealed since the regular season, have also hampered Samsung in the Korean Series. After losing to the KIA Tigers, manager Park Jin-man said, "I think we need to reinforce the bullpen." However, Samsung has failed to strengthen the bullpen. It only recruited Choi Won-tae, a starting pitcher in the FA market, for a total of 7 billion won for four years. Connor returned to the U.S., but Ariel Furado, who served as the ace for the Kiwoom Heroes, was recruited to increase the starting pitcher's mound.
In the end, the bullpen has to find a solution from internal development. We need a young young gun to support veteran bullpen pitchers such as Oh Seung-hwan, Lim Chang-min, and Kim Jae-yoon. Samsung has high expectations on pitchers it has collected in the draft. It is worth looking forward to Hwang Dong-jae, Lee Ho-seong, and Yuk Seon-yeop, who even studied abroad.
What I'm looking forward to the most is Hwang Dong-jae. A graduate of Kyungpook National High School, Hwang joined Samsung through the first round of nominations in 2020. He has shown a glimpse of his potential in his fourth year of the season. He recorded one win, two losses and an ERA of 4.07 in 15 games and 42 innings. He played as a starter at the end of the season and played long innings, displaying potential for growth as a starting pitcher. In addition, he took the mound as a starter in Game 3 of the playoffs against the LG Twins, and allowed one hit and three walks in three innings. He gained valuable experience.
Samsung sent Hwang to study in the U.S. Hwang Dong-jae also received three weeks of training at CSP with the support of his club. In fact, Hwang Dong-jae is a resource that needs to be nurtured as a starting pitcher, but there is no place in Samsung's starting lineup. He has already confirmed his fifth starting pitcher. For now, Hwang will celebrate his 2025 season in the bullpen.
Lee Ho-seong is also a highly anticipated pitcher. A native of Incheon High School, Lee Ho-seong wore a blue uniform as eighth overall in the first round of the 2023 draft. After playing in only five games during his debut season, Lee did not stand out much in the 2024 season, which was his second year as a pro player. He recorded two wins, four losses and an earned run average of 7.40 in 16 games and 45 innings. After finishing his second year of the season, which was full of disappointment, Samsung suggested Lee Ho-seong to study in the U.S. He will spend the off-season at CSP, a baseball program facility in the U.S.
After graduating from Jangchung High School, Yuk is a right-handed pitcher who was designated by Samsung as the fourth overall pick in the first round in 2024. He finished his debut season with an earned run average of 5.29 in 11 games and 17 innings. In the Futures League, he recorded two wins and two losses and an earned run average of 2.70 in 40 innings in 20 games.
Samsung did not spare its investment in Yuk. It dispatched Yuk to the Japanese Education League so that he could gain experience by dealing with high-quality batters. This was not the end of his career. Yuk boarded the plane and headed for Australia. He played for the Brisbane Bandit in the Australian Baseball League. Yuk was a bullpen pitcher in the Australian League. He posted an ERA of 1.59 with one hold in 11 ⅓ innings in nine games.
There are many young pitchers who are looking forward to it. If they play an active role, they can prevent overloading of Samsung's bullpen. Attention is focusing on whether young lions will be able to roar in the 2025 season.