Philadelphia’s local media outlet “Phillies Sports Network” mentioned Ko Woo-suk as one of the players the Philadelphia Phillies will include on their 2024 wish list on the 22nd (Korea time). Ko is currently aiming to enter the Major League through the posting system. If the Major League Secretariat notifies the posting, it is possible to freely negotiate with 30 teams from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the 30th day of the next day. Ko will hold negotiations from 10 p.m. on the 5th to 7 a.m. on the 4th of January next year. If he fails to complete it within this period, he will not be able to apply for posting again until November 1 next year.
PSN wanted Philadelphia to use Ko as a bullpens reinforcement card. The media outlet said, “Ko is one of the best closing pitchers in the KBO. Ko’s average fastball speed is slightly below 95 miles (about 152 kilometers). It will be an interesting bullpen option for Philadelphia.”
This year, the mood in the FA market in the Major League is particularly favorable to Asian League players. Key example is the contract between outfielder Lee Jung-hoo (25) and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (25). The two players were always on the top list of FA candidates even before the FA opened, and signed contracts worth such evaluation.
Lee Jung-hoo set a six-year, $113 million (W147.2 billion) record for Asian fielders with the San Francisco Giants, and Yamamoto agreed to a 12-year, $325 million (W43.2 billion) contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the highest ever for a Major League pitcher. Both players entered the Major League through the posting system and even their original teams became big hits. Lee’s original Kiwoom Heroes earned $18.825 million (W24.5 billion) for posting, while Yamamoto’s original Orix Buffaloes received about $50 million (W65.1 billion).
The U.S. sports media “CBS Sports” even published an analysis article on the 21st, “Why Major League clubs prefer NPB (Japanese professional baseball) or KBO players this year?” I summarized it for four reasons, but first, it is rich data. There is a misunderstanding that it is difficult to predict how much NPB or KBO former players will adapt when they come to the Major League, and these days, Major League clubs can fully collect various data from the two leagues, including the speed of rotation and batting speed. Based on that record, it is possible to calculate how much risk they should take in the Major League.
It has the advantage of significantly reducing the cost of recruiting NPB or KBO players for Major League teams, and it can even secure Japanese and Korean baseball fans who want to see their own players playing in the Major League. The overall level of players on the FA market this year is not so high, which is why they are turning to NPB and KBO players.
CBS Sports predicted that Ko Woo-suk would benefit from this market atmosphere. The media said, “If we take a close look at the rest of the offseason, we will see Major League teams chasing foreign FAs ranked 2nd or 3rd this winter. There are Japanese starting pitchers Wausa and Naoyuki and bullpen pitcher Yuki Matsui, and Korean bullpen pitcher Ko Woo-suk. It is difficult for them to sign contracts like Yamamoto or Lee Jung-hoo, but there is still a possibility of signing them. They appreciate NPB and KBO players more than ever.”
Some predicted that Ko would receive attention from the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers prior to the posting. The St. Louis Cardinals ranked 23rd overall in the big league with a 4.47 ERA this year, and had experience in hiring Oh as a closer for the past two seasons, in 2016 and 2017. Kim Kwang-hyun was also appointed by the St. Louis Cardinals for the two seasons of 2020 and 2021. 온라인카지노
Dodgers Way, which deals with Dodgers news, recommended Ko as a card to strengthen Dodgers’ bullpen, and said, “Ko Woo-suk, a fastball right-hander, pitched 275 ⅓ in the past five seasons in the KBO League and recorded 334 strikeouts. He is only 25 years old now, and he could recruit him for three years and 24 million dollars.”
Ko Woo-seok was a promising fastball player who graduated from Chungam High School in 2017 and joined LG in the first nomination in 2017. At the age of 21, he won eight games, 35 saves, one hold, 71 innings, and an ERA of 1.52 in 65 games in 2019, instantly establishing himself as a closing pitcher who will protect LG’s back door for more than a decade. In seven seasons so far this year, he played in 354 games, recording 19 wins, 139 saves, 6 holds, 368 ⅓ innings, 401 strikeouts, and an ERA of 3.18. In 2022, he won the title with his career-high 42 saves, and this year, when he was somewhat sluggish, he also contributed to LG’s first integrated victory in 29 years since 1994. And attention is being paid to whether he will be able to achieve his last dream of entering the Major League this year.