“If you take a good course, it can be a secret weapon for the second half or fall baseball.”
There is a saying in the baseball world that a “left-handed fastball pitcher” is brought even from hell. In the past, he used to spray fastball that exceeded 148 kilometers before returning to Sangmu. LG Twins left-hander Lee Sang-young (23). However, his arrest has rarely been raised since he was discharged from the military. He also received two chances as a starter, but the head coach decided that it was still difficult to work in the first division. And now, they are looking at it for a long time and seeking to return to the top after the second half or postseason.
The LG Twins are running for the presidency this season. The most important thing is the starting rotation. Casey Kelly, the undisputed first-choice foreign player, is slowing down a little, but second-choice Adam Plutko and third-choice Lim Chan-kyu are 꽁머니 showing very good performance. However, I am still worried about the fourth and fifth starters. Initially, Kim Yoon-sik and Lee Min-ho were scheduled to take charge of one position in the starting lineup, respectively. However, Kim Yoon-sik is on the injured list due to a back injury. In addition, Lee Min-ho has begun to build up his body again and is aiming for a summit in the second half.
In place of their vacancy, Lee Sang-young was also given a chance to select. However, it did not make a definite impression. In the match against Samsung on the 14th of last month, he scored four innings, four hits, one walk, and two runs (two earned runs) with one strikeout. In the match against NC on the 20th, he was defeated after being substituted early with two hits, four walks, one strikeout, and three runs (two earned runs) in one and two innings. Above all, the fastball he boasted in the past disappeared. The maximum speed of Samsung’s fastball stayed at 141km and the maximum speed of NC’s fastball stayed at 139km, respectively. According to the baseball statistics media Statistics, the average speed of fastballs in two games was 137.9km, which was virtually “ball speed” that was difficult to work on the first team stage.
Lee Sang-young, a graduate of Busan High School, joined the LG Twins as the fifth overall pick in the second round of the 2019 Rookie Draft. At the time of joining the team, the down payment was 150 million won. With an average ERA of 16.88 (2⅔ innings and 5 earned runs) in three games in the 2019 season, he marked one win and one loss and a 4.32 ERA (24 earned runs in 50 innings) in 21 games in the 2021 season. And after joining Sangmu, he recorded 10 wins, 3 losses, and a 3.31 ERA last year, becoming the Futures League Southern League’s most wins. Lee Sang-young, who was discharged from the military last month, then had a good record of 8 wins, 1 loss, and a 2.63 ERA in nine Futures League games this year. It was also true that LG fans had high expectations. But now it’s back to square one.
For now, LG removed Lee Sang-young from the first division entry on the 21st of last month. Above all, the first task is to regain the original restraint. Lee Sang-young is sweating while throwing the ball from the bullpen before the game when LG’s home game is held. LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop and coaches are watching this. Coach Yeom said of Lee Sang-young, “First of all, I’m looking at next year.” It is trying to use it as a “1+1” in the postseason even though it is almost the end of the second half at the earliest. They are training to find out why the ball speed is not coming out toward the pitching mechanism. “I will be in the residual group and come back when there is a home game and check again for about two months repeatedly,” he said.
“Lee Sang-young has some bad aspects of Cho Sang-woo in the past in the early days of his career.” Therefore, I would like to apply the system that raised Cho Sang-woo to Lee Sang-young as it is. If you keep pitching in the current position, it will strain your body. Injuries are bound to come. You have to get used to the changed form by continuing to throw the ball from the bullpen. “If you take a good process, I think it can be a secret weapon in the second half or the postseason,” he said, expressing expectations. For LG, it would be the best scenario if Lee Sang-young can recover his old fast ball and use it in the postseason. Will Lee Sang-young be able to return in the second half of this season and devote himself to the team in a decisive match.