Closer Woo-seok Ko signs with the San Diego Padres. The LG Twins’ first major leaguer is a source of pride.
But on the flip side, LG has lost one of the best closers in Korea. It’s a big loss for the team as they look to win back-to-back titles. Despite having one of the strongest bullpens in the game, LG will need to find a solid closer if they want to win this season. LG Twins manager Yeom Kyung-yeop chose Yoo Young-chan as the new closer.
He’s a “newbie. After graduating from Bae Myung-go-Keonkuk University and being drafted by LG with the 43rd overall pick in the 2020 second round, Yoo made the first team for the first time last year and earned a spot in the closer’s rotation. In 67 games, he went 6-3 with one save and 12 holds with a 3.44 ERA.
He showed promise as a closer in the Korean Series.
He pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief in Game 2 on Nov. 8, allowing no hits and striking out two to help the team come from behind, 바카라사이트 and then pitched two innings of scoreless relief in Game 3 on Nov. 10, allowing one hit and one walk with two strikeouts. In Game 5 on the 13th, he pitched 1⅔ innings of two-hit ball with two strikeouts and one run, and in Game 3 of the Korean Series, he pitched six innings of three-hit ball with one run.
Aside from the Korean Series MVP at the time, Yoon said that he would pick his own “Acha Award” and give it to Park Dong-won and Yoo Young-chan. It was natural to pick Park Dong-won, who hit the game-winning home run in Game 2, but Yoo Young-chan’s pitching was also incredible, so Yim picked two players and raised the prize to 20 million won, giving them 10 million won each.
Yoo chose Young-chan as his new closer because he has a good fastball and changeup, and the mentality needed for a closer. “He has a fastball that is close to a power pitcher. He has a fastball that is close to a power pitcher. I think he can improve,” he said. “He throws a forkball (Yoo called it a splitter rather than a forkball) and a slider, and if he improves his perfection in spring training, he can become a successful pitcher who can save more than 30 saves in the league,” he said.
He was particularly impressed with his mental game.
Closers are more mentally demanding than other bullpen pitchers, so mental strength is emphasized. “Yoo Young-chan also scored well with the coaching staff in the mental aspect required for a closer,” said Yeom. “He had the biggest experience in the Korean Series, which requires a strong mindset. Although he has no experience as a closer, he has a high chance of succeeding as he takes charge this season.”
Yeom said that the process of becoming a closer needs to be well-made, and that he and his coaching staff will make it happen. “Pitchers don’t always do well from the start,” Yeom said, “but that doesn’t mean they’re going to stick around. Whether the club, manager, and coaching staff support, endure, and overcome is important for the development and establishment of the player,” he said. “When a player is struggling, if the manager and the club and the coaches believe in them and give them time, they can get through it and be successful. We are ready for that,” he said, expressing confidence in his ability to develop Yoo into a finisher.
Yeom has already successfully developed “rookie” finishes before.
In 2016, when he was with the Nexen Heroes, he brought in Kim Se-hyun as his new closer after Son Seung-rak left for the Lotte Giants, and Kim, who hadn’t had a single save before that, became the league’s best closer with 36 saves that year. In 2019, when he was manager of the SK Wyverns, he used Ha Jae-hoon as his closer, and he also won the save title with 36 saves. Yeom, who has excelled at developing bullpen pitchers, including turning Han Hyun-hee and Lee Bo-geun into holdovers, made LG’s bullpen the strongest in baseball last year, 안전놀이터 leading the team to the regular season and Korean Series title with the strongest bullpen despite a weak starting lineup in Korea.
“I think (Yoo) will do a good job,” Yeom said. “Of course, baseball doesn’t go the way you think, so he may have some difficulties, but I and the coaching staff will help him overcome those difficulties so that he can establish himself as the closer,” he said encouragingly.