For Kim Dae-yu, 33, of the KIA Tigers, the 2023 season will be a year of disappointment.

He arrived in a KIA uniform as compensation for catcher Park Dong-won and was expected to fill a key left-handed role in the bullpen. In the 2021-2022 season, he continued his career-high performance as the LG Twins’ best left-hander. His uncommon left-handed sidearm and sharp delivery made him one of the best bullpen arms in the KBO. Kia’s decision to bring him in as a compensation player was seen by many as a steal from LG.

But he got off to a rough start. In the month of April last year, his ERA reached 12.79 in 6⅓ innings. He struggled with his pitches and gave up one run after another. In May, his ERA dropped to 1.35 in 6⅔ innings, but he was still far from perfect in terms of runners in scoring position, hits, and walks. Eventually, after two months with the first team, 온라인카지노 he was sent to the Hampyeong Futures (second team).

After being out of the picture for a while due to injuries and rebalancing his pitches

He returned to the first team in September, right in the middle of the second half of the season. Kim pitched 6⅔ innings in 13 games in September, posting a 2.70 ERA. While he was more of a one-pitcher who would stop opposing lefties when they came up rather than take full responsibility for the first inning, he did his job and helped the team stay in the race. In nine games in October, he posted a 3.60 ERA in five innings. His final record for the season was 41 games, 24⅔ innings, no wins, 2 losses, 4 holds, and a 5.11 ERA.

In the first half of the year (19 games, 13 innings, 2 losses, 2 holds, 6.92 ERA), Dae-yoo’s pitching was not free of the “peak” label. He struggled against left-handed batters, who were his strong suit. In the second half of the year, however, he stabilized, going 22 games and 11⅔ innings without a win or loss, with a 2-0 record and a 3.09 ERA. He significantly reduced the percentage of balls in play (from 5 to 1), and also reduced the number of home runs and walks. As he rebalanced his pitches, he started to find his control and made a breakthrough.

Dae-yoo’s role in the KIA bullpen hasn’t diminished this season.

It’s a “pitcher’s kingdom,” but it needs a solid resource to hold down the fort. The left-handed sidearm and veteran is considered to be competitive among KIA’s left-handed bullpen, including Lee Jun-young, Choi Ji-min, and Kwak Do-gyu. The key will be to capitalize on the reliable stuff he showed in the second half of last season.

Kim Dae-yu is a case of a late bloomer after a long period of obscurity. He was drafted in the third round by the Heroes in the 2010 rookie draft, but was moved to the SK Wyverns in the second round without making a first-team appearance. From there, he made only 36 first-team appearances until KT in 2019. In 2020, he made just three first-team appearances for LG, 실시간 바카라사이트 but the following year he posted a stellar record of 4-1, 24 holds, and a 2.13 ERA in 64 games. This was 12 years after his professional debut. It was the result of a long wait and a lot of hard work.

His unwavering passion, despite being drafted twice and released, has earned him the title of ‘top bullpen’. We can’t wait to see what Kim Dae-yoo does next.