Should the LG Twins recruit Jang Hyun-sik (29), the "biggest bullpen fish" in the 2024 season, after the relief team deteriorated.스포츠토토
The LG Twins have won the Korean Series for the first time in 29 years since the 1994 season in the 2023 season. LG, which ranked first with 86 wins, 56 losses and two draws (winning rate of 0.606), has confirmed its advance to the Korean Series. In the long-awaited Korean Series, LG defeated the KT Wiz by four wins and one loss to become the crown prince in the 2023 season.
One of the reasons LG won the Korean Series title in the 2023 season was its strong bullpen. LG's team average earned run average (ERA) of 3.35, ranking first in the entire league in the 2023 season. It also led KT Wiz (7.33), with an ERA of 3.40, in the Korean Series.
LG's bullpen, which was powerful in the 2023 season, cracked in just a year. LG's earned run average (ERA) in the 2024 season fell to the sixth place in the league with 5.17. LG, which had its back door wobbled, advanced to the playoffs by beating the KT Wiz with three wins and two losses in the semi-playoff, but lost to the Samsung Lions with one win and three losses in the playoffs. LG's dream of winning the Korean Series for two consecutive years was dashed.
LG, which seeks to become the champion again next season, needs to rebuild its relief team. The most obvious option is to recruit free agents. Kim Won-joong and Koo Seung-min signed a contract with the Lotte Giants, but there are still quasi-class fighting teams in the market.
LG's notable player is Jang Hyun-sik. He wore the NC uniform with the ninth overall pick in the first round in the 2013 rookie draft, but his growth at NC has stagnated. Jang was traded to the KIA Tigers in August 2020, which was a turning point in his career. He won the Tigers' first hold king with a 1-5 record and a 3.29 ERA in the 2021 season.
In the 2022 season, he played as a must-winner for Kia with 54 games, two wins, three losses, one save, 19 holds, and an earned run average of 3.12. In the 2023 season, he was sluggish in 56 games, with two wins, two losses and five holds, with an earned run average of 4.06 due to surgery to remove bone fragments in his elbow, but rebounded with five wins, four losses and 16 holds, with an earned run average of 3.94, in 75 games in the 2024 season. He ranked fifth (75 ⅓ innings) in the most innings among KIA pitchers, playing an excellent role as a key in the field.
He also shone in the Korean Series. Jang did not yield a single point through Games 1 through 5, becoming a "Mr. Zero" against the Samsung Lions. As KIA defeated the Samsung Lions by four wins and one loss, Jang won his first Korean Series title.
As he is in his late 20s and has a B grade, he has little to bear on compensation. The problem is concerns over his injury. Jang had an elbow injury when he was playing at Kia. As he played in more than 50 innings (76 ⅔-52-51-75 ⅓) for four consecutive seasons from the 2021 to 2024 seasons, he is also concerned about overuse of labor. Attention is focusing on whether LG will enter the race to recruit Jang.