As the level of the league increases, it is difficult for rookies to make a big splash in their first season like in the past. This is especially true for starting pitchers, which are one of the most difficult positions to enter. Therefore, the players who pass through that needle hole are more special and receive more special attention individually.
This year, Yoon Young-cheol (19, KIA) is like that. He beat his seniors amid fierce competition and joined the team’s opening rotation. It is more difficult to keep his position than to occupy it, but Yoon Young-cheol has maintained that position with skill. Although he doesn’t have an overwhelming pitching presence, he has maintained his starting spot so far with his skillful pitching that rarely gives up a lot of runs. His boldness and skill, which can hardly be considered a high school graduate, has already surprised many officials.
As of the 4th, Yoon Young-cheol has played 98 innings in 20 games (19 as a starter) this season, recording 8 wins, 5 losses, and an average ERA of 4.13. The numbers on base allowed per inning (WHIP) of 1.39 is also not that high. Although it is difficult to label him as special, his performance is excellent and remarkable considering that he is a 19-year-old rookie pitcher. He is the best rookie pitcher this year right now. From being a 5-inning pitcher at the beginning of the season, he is now on the path to expanding his limits and becoming a 6-inning pitcher. He is a player who shows growth.
He has been a consistent starter, and now it is the end of the season. How he finishes is also important. This is because it is a topic that touches next year. For now, it appears that he will maintain his rotation spot. If Yoon Young-cheol stays healthy, he is in the picture of being able to finish as a starter. The same goes for individual will and the team situation.
KIA has punctures everywhere in its starting rotation. It will not be easy for foreign pitcher Mario Sanchez to join in September due to an elbow injury. Lee Ui-ri is scheduled to be called up for the Hangzhou Asian Games on September 22nd. There are already a lot of team games left, and the double header schedule is like a bomb. In a situation where more starters are needed, it is difficult to leave out the existing starter, Yoon Young-cheol. It would be nice if there was room to reduce the burden on this rookie’s shoulders, but unfortunately, that is not the case for his team, KIA.
The potential and pitching quality were proven. Now, the focus is on how well the first season’s innings will be completed. Since he started as the 5th starter, it is difficult to say that the schedule was overly excessive. After four days of rest, there was only one appearance. There were 9 games that he pitched after 5 days of rest, and 9 games that he pitched after more rest. The number of pitches rarely exceeded 100. However, it is difficult for a rookie out of high school to maintain the rotation. Although it may seem like an unreasonable schedule now, looking back, it may be an unreasonable schedule for this player.메이저놀이터
You can refer to recent precedents. As of the 4th, Yoon Young-cheol has pitched 98 innings in the first team and 13 innings in the second team this year. A total of 111 innings. Lee Eui-ri, who was two years his senior on the team and also played in the rotation as a high school graduate, surpassed him. Lee Ui-ri pitched 94⅔ innings in the first team at the time. The innings pitched at the Tokyo Olympics are added here. However, as the season ended early due to injury, the innings were manageable. Last year, his second year, he pitched 154 innings for the first team.
Lee Min-ho (LG) pitched 97⅔ innings in the first team and 3 innings in the second team in 2020, slightly exceeding 100 innings. Won Tae-in (Samsung) played 112 innings in the first team and 10⅓ innings in the second team in 2019, for a total of 122 innings. The high school rookie pitcher who pitched the most innings in recent years was So Hyun-jun (KT) in 2020. So Hyun-jun played 133 innings in the first team in 2020. To this, pitching innings in the postseason were added. It was more innings than KT’s original calculation at the time.
Yoon Young-cheol’s 111 innings are already more than Lee Ui-ri and Lee Min-ho. If things continue like this, there is a high possibility that Won Tae-in’s innings in his first season will surpass that of Hyun Soo-jun’s first season. Keeping the starting rotation and continuing to throw the ball means that his skills are being recognized, but as he is a high school graduate, it also leads to the immediate task of having to check his physical condition more carefully in the future. KIA is also closely monitoring Yoon Young-cheol’s physical condition. He needs to finish the season healthy so he can go into next year without losing this year’s experience.
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