The 10 KBO league clubs begin to create a ‘list of emitters’ around the time the second half of the season enters. Every year, more than 11 new faces join through the draft, and that is because the team can maintain the appropriate size of the squad.
In this process,메이저놀이터 the players who enter the list of emitters have different stories. A list is made for various reasons, such as when a player is judged to be underqualified, when it is difficult to expect further activity because of his age, or when a player wants to quit baseball himself. In the case of veteran players, there are cases where they are forced to release to pave the way for younger players. However, these released players can be attractive recruitment targets when viewed by other clubs.
Even if team A judges that it is ‘out of power’, team B may be a player necessary for power. Even if team A judges that ‘this player is over’, team B can judge that ‘it is still useful’. In addition, there is no down payment or compensation for players, and the annual salary is usually not burdensome. If it doesn’t work after using it for a year, release it again. This is why many teams are attracted to this market.
After the 2021 season, the biggest word in the’emitter market’ was right-hander Roh Kyung-eun (39), who was notified of an extra power from Lotte. After hearing the news that Noh Kyung-eun had been released, several clubs looked for him. However, SSG, which was the first to propose a test and showed an active move, eventually won the recruitment battle for Roh Kyung-eun.
SSG believed that if Noh Kyung-eun had innate physical ability, thorough self-management, and passion for baseball, he could play more than enough. SSG coach Kim Won-hyung, who saw Noh Kyung-eun up close during his time as Lotte coach, stepped forward and guaranteed this. There were fans who felt burdened by the annual salary of 100 million won, but Noh Kyung-eun’s performance last year was worth dozens of times.
Noh Kyung-eun played 41 games last year, going back and forth between the start and the middle, and threw 79⅔ innings, making an outstanding performance with an average ERA of 3.05 with 12 wins, 5 losses, 1 save and 7 holds. SSG’s historic ‘Wire-to-Wire Championship’ (a championship that never lost first place from the opening of the regular season to the final day) would have been impossible without the dedication of Noh Kyung-eun. He is the team’s winning group this year as well, with 2 wins, 1 loss, 2 saves and 9 holds, and an earned run average of 2.33 in 19 games. We are now 40 years old, but we are still in good shape.
▲ Kim Sang-soo is evaluated as having completely covered the crisis in the Lotte bullpen at the beginning of the season ⓒLotte Giants
Kim Sang-su (35) is the player who took the opposite route to Roh Kyung-eun. Kim Sang-soo was a bullpen pitcher who went well enough to record 40 holds in 2019 and rise to the hold king. SSG, which needed to reinforce the bullpen power, was recognized for its value by signing in 2021 through a sign-and-trade method and, in effect, a free agent contract. However, his two years at SSG were troubled by poor pitches and he did not live up to the team’s expectations. He left his position and went out whenever the team needed it and threw it silently, but last year he was virtually excluded from the first team.
After hearing the news that Kim Sang-soo had been released after the season, Lotte was the first to move. He fit right in with the intention of bolstering the roster by filling the bullpen with veteran players. Kim Sang-soo, who signed a contract for an annual salary of 110 million won, emerged as the light of the Lotte bullpen this year. He has now become an indispensable player.
Kim Sang-soo recorded an average ERA of 1.98 with 3 wins, 1 save and 4 holds in 18 games of the season, achieving results that are comparable to his heyday. At the beginning of the season, when the Lotte bullpen was not completely maintained, the value of the time gained by making an outstanding performance is likely to shine even greater. In addition to the two players, as more and more veteran bullpen pitchers released from the team go to other teams and perform well, it is expected that fierce competition will take place every winter.