He hasn’t had a lot of experience yet, and I think he might have gotten a little confused.”
Doosan Bears right-handed fireballer prospect Kim Yoo-seong is getting a second chance to start with the second team. It was decided that it would be better for him to gradually increase his pitch count and gain experience in the Futures League rather than pitch in an ambiguous position in the first team.
Doosan removed pitchers Kim Yoo-seong and Choi Ji-kang from the first-team roster on April 4 against the Suwon KT Wiz. The vacancies were filled by sidearm Ko Bong-jae and infielder Ahn Jae-seok.
In Kim’s case, he was sent back down to the Future League eight days after his second first-team call-up after opening day on March 27. After struggling with his control, allowing one run on one hit with two walks and one strikeout in one inning against KT on March 3 and one run on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts in one inning against NC on March 30, Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop ordered a “reorganization.
“Kim Yoo-sung should pitch as a starter in the long run,” Lee said, explaining, “We prepared him as a starter in the second team, but he was not in a good condition to pitch out of the bullpen in the first team, so we sent him to the Futures.”
There is no problem with Kim’s fastball. He threw up to 151 kilometers against NC on March 30 and up to 148 kilometers against KT on March 3. Lee believes that his velocity and power are good enough for the first team.
His record in the Futures League isn’t 메이저사이트 bad either. In five games, he’s 1-1 with a 3.52 ERA. His fastball, which sits in the low 150s, is a powerful offering, as evidenced by his 25 strikeouts in 23 innings.
However, his control hasn’t been cooperating in the big leagues. After walking 13 batters in 23 innings in the Futures League, Kim has walked 11 batters in four innings in the first team. That’s nearly three times as many walks as hits allowed (4).
Lee is looking for the source of Kim’s first-team struggles in the bullpen. He believes that being used mid-game in the bullpen, rather than as a starter, can make it difficult for him to warm up and throw the ball with optimal balance.
“Kim Yoo-sung had been preparing as a starter in the second team, but in the first team, he threw out of the bullpen, so I think it may have affected his balance,” Lee said, adding, “I think there may have been some confusion in this area because he doesn’t have much experience yet.”
“For the sake of Doosan’s future, I think it’s better for Kim Yoo-sung to prepare as a starter in the second team,” he said. “We hope that he will gain more experience by playing in the Futures League and improve his performance with the ability to dominate the second team hitters.”