“Surprise: 1st-place KT and 3rd-place KIA” — Two reliable foreign starters plus a 25-home run hitter → That’s how you make the top five [Kim In-sik’s take]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Let’s rewind to just before the start of this season.

Most experts led with last year’s champion, the LG Twins, while predicting the Samsung Lions, Hanwha Eagles, and KT Wiz as “top four” contenders. They further predicted that the Doosan Bears, KIA Tigers, NC Dinos, Lotte Giants, and SSG Landers would engage in a fierce battle for fifth place. The Kiwoom Heroes were seen as having somewhat diminished strength.

However, the results were vastly different. KT defied expectations to secure first place in the regular season, while LG fell to fourth. Samsung rose to second place, roughly matching predictions, but it was somewhat surprising that KIA claimed third. In the end, upsets occurred at both the first and third-place spots.

There is a reason for this. Before the season opener, the abilities of foreign players had not yet been revealed. Looking at the final regular season standings, one can reconfirm that in the KBO League, foreign players still account for more than half of a team’s annual performance, and sometimes up to 70%.

The author’s conclusion is that a team needs two reliable foreign starting pitchers and a hitter capable of hitting 25 or more home runs (20 for teams based at the existing Jamsil Stadium). Only then can a team enter the top five.

In the case of first-place KT, the initially selected foreign starters Boswell and Sawyer each recorded seven wins but fell short of expectations. The team quickly signed Logan in June and Daniel in August to minimize losses. Logan went 7-0 in 17 games, while Daniel posted a 5-0 record in 10 games. Additionally, domestic pitchers Go Yeong-pyo with 15 wins and So Hyoung-jun with 10 wins helped compensate for the changes in the foreign starting rotation.

As for foreign hitters, Hilliard displayed remarkable power by recording an impressive 44 home runs (second place) and 139 RBIs (first place). The acquisitions of free agents Choi Won-jun and Kim Hyun-soo were also a great success.

The KIA Tigers, which jumped from a top-five contender to third place, are no exception. Neil and Oler each recorded 13 and 11 wins this season, respectively, fulfilling their roles as a one-two punch. Hitter Castro hit 21 home runs despite missing nearly two months due to injury. In particular, after his return in July, he slammed 16 home runs. Additionally, Kim Do-young (45 home runs) and Na Seong-beom (31 home runs) delivered performances rivaling those of top-tier foreign hitters.

Fifth-place Doosan faced major turmoil when their ace starter Flexen was sidelined by injury after just two games of the season. While replacements Benjamin and Jacklog recorded nine and eight wins, respectively, they were insufficient to be called a reliable one-two punch. The hitters also fell short, with Cameron hitting nine home runs and newly acquired Severino managing only seven. Instead, Choi Min-seok and Gwak Bin led the starting rotation with 14 and 11 wins, respectively, allowing the team to barely scrape into the top five.

On the other hand, let’s look at teams whose rankings dropped unexpectedly. LG’s hitter Austin displayed power by hitting 41 home runs, but the foreign pitchers fell short of expectations, causing the team to struggle throughout the season. Chirinos left the team at the end of May with only two wins, while Tolhurst had an inconsistent record of 12-11 and a 4.24 ERA. Rios and Kennedy were used in the bullpen rather than as starters. Carrasco, who joined in August, fought hard with six wins in 11 games but could not stop the team’s downward trend.

Hanwha, which fell from last year’s runner-up to ninth place, also struggled. Although White overcame an injury absence to record eight wins, Hernandez managed only three wins, and Zimmermann went winless. The Asian quota player Wang Yencheng (11 wins) and the oldest pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin (9 wins) had to serve as aces. Hitter Ferrer also lacked power with 20 home runs and 68 RBIs.

Teams ranked 6th through 8th—SSG, Lotte, and NC—also lacked an overwhelming foreign starter or a hitter with 25 or more home runs, except for Avila (SSG, nine wins), who joined in the second half of the season.

Ultimately, each team must focus above all else on how to structure its foreign player roster during this offseason. Bringing in the wrong foreign players not only results in financial losses due to replacements but also has a decisive negative impact on team performance. Now that the Asian quota slot exists, teams must place even greater emphasis on acquiring foreign players. As clearly demonstrated this season, this is essential to become a strong team next season.

Former national baseball team manager Kim In-sik (currently KBO Senior Advisory Council)

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original