It is the new year's goal for Gapjin (甲辰年) announced by LG Twins manager Yeom Kyung-yeop.
LG was the hero of the 2023 season of the professional baseball league. After winning the regular season title with a winning rate of 60 percent, 86 wins, two draws and 56 losses, LG beat KT Wiz with four wins and one loss in the Korean Series, achieving a combined win for the first time in 29 years. It was an unforgettable year for LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop, who had his first individual win in his first season as a coach. He also removed the unwelcome label of "second-in-command" who had always been frustrated at the threshold of winning the title.
In the 2024 season as the defending champion, Yeom Kyung-yeop emphasized more expectations than burdens. "Now that I have won (the championship), my fans, the club, the players and I have no more fear and hesitation," he said in a telephone interview with this newspaper, expressing his ambition to challenge for the club to record the most wins (87 wins in the 2022 season) with two consecutive wins.
"We are emphasizing to our players that if they are satisfied with the present, they have no future. Instead of being satisfied with the victory (in the 2023 season), individual players should develop further," manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said. "Players such as Oh Ji-hwan, Kim Hyun-soo, Park Dong-won and Park Hae-min are veteran players (who are recognized in the league), but I think they can do better than now. It is important to see how much potential they increase in their coaching staff." After slightly adjusting the coaching staff, LG's main batting coach Lee Ho-joon will move to a quality control (QC) coach. Coach Mo Chang-min, who assisted coach Lee Ho-joon, will become the main batting coach and take the batting part of the first team along with coach Choi Seung-joon.
The composition of foreign players has remained unchanged. They re-signed early on with pitcher Casey Kelly, who led the team to win the championship, and batter Austin Dean. He then hired Detrick Ness as a new foreign pitcher. Ness has experience in the Asian League, where he played in the Japanese professional baseball (NPB) for the recent two seasons, and is a left-handed starter that his team lacks. He combines cut fastballs, changeups, and curves with four-seam fastballs that average around 94 miles (151.3 kilometers/h). Classified as a "class resource" in the foreign player market, LG Twins displayed strong interest in the team, which joined the team.
"I am satisfied with recruiting (ens) because it is not easy to find a foreign player," manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said. "I tried to find the first starting pitcher regardless of right and left hands." He also naturally completed his plan for rotation for the 2024 season. The two foreign pitchers Choi Won-tae, Lim Chan-kyu, Kim Yoon-sik and Son Joo-young are expected to receive opportunities. "We are planning a rotation on Wednesday (as the sixth starting pitcher) as Kim Yoon-sik and Son Ji-young cannot afford to have full time." Analysts say that Lim Chan-kyu, who was released as a free agent after last season, stayed with his team (for four years, up to 5 billion won) and maintained his winning power intact. He has strong depth (players) enough to plan to become the sixth starting pitcher.
LG has not changed much in its squad composition. Not only Lim Chan-gyu but also FA bullpen Ham Deok-ju stayed with the team. However, another variable will be the future of closing pitcher Ko Woo-seok, who is trying to advance to the Major League through the posting system (closed competitive bidding). "If Ko leaves, I think Yoo Young-chan will be the first alternative," manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said. Even if he remains with the team this winter, he will become a free agent after the 2024 season. As he has strong will to play overseas, he needs to prepare alternatives in advance.
"It's important to have continuity, not just to be a closing pitcher for one or two years," Yeom Kyung-yeop said. "Our team has the highest probability of Yoo Young-chan, considering mental and ball types and various conditions." Yoo pitched in 67 games last year, recording six wins, three losses, one save and 12 holds with an ERA of 3.44. He impressed the coaching staff with his amazing pitching (three games, 1.50 ERA) in the KS.
Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop emphasized "experience" through the 2023 season. Winning a combined championship is the foundation of the year in which players cannot afford to pay. "At this time (a year ago), the starting pitchers for the third to fifth players were not stable," Yeom said. "There were only three bullpen members (Ko Woo-suk, Jung Woo-young, and Lee Jung-yong) who could be trusted and used. We can start the 2024 season much more stably."
BY: 스포츠토토핫