Royster Returns to Lotte

Jerry Royster inked a 1-year deal worth $600,000. He'll get half up front as a signing bonus. He also made some interesting comments about Lee Beom-ho. It sounds like Royster wouldn't mind the Hanhwa 3rd baseman with Lotte. My only question is, where's he going to play? Lotte is set at first, third and DH for the foreseeable future.

New Haircuts For All!

From left to right. Doosan 2nd baseman Goh Yeong-min, Doosan left fielder Kim Hyeon-su, KIA ace Yoon Seok-min, KIA center fielder Lee Yong-gyu and Hanhwa ace Ryu Hyeon-jin.

I guess they wanted to hang out and talk about their new, goofy haircuts. Ryu was known for the long flowing locks sticking out from under his hat. I think he thought short hair would make him look slimmer. He thought wrong.

Welcome to the KBO off season. A few new managers, a few free agents and lots of pictures of guys randomly hanging out or getting married. KBO Fever! Catch it!

2009 Free Agency

2009 has a much more interesting group of free agents than 2008. Last year, the only big names involved in free agent speculation were Lotte DH Hong Seong-heun and Doosan 3rd baseman Kim Dong-ju. Almost every team has important decisions to make this year.

KIA



KIA has 4 free agents this season. Pitcher Lee Dae-jin, outfielder Lee Jong-beom, catcher Kim Sang-hoon and infielder Jang Seong-ho. Lee Dae-jin was a former potential closer who became an injury-plagued starter. If he continues his career, he'll likely stay with KIA. Lee Jong Beom will turn 40 next year. I think he still has something in the tank, but it remains to be seen if he'll try to play elsewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the elite teams(SK or Doosan) made a run at him for depth. Kim Sang-hoon is a career backup that lucked his way into 12 homers and 65 RBIs. He'll likely be back with KIA...as a backup. Jang is an interesting player. He's only 32, but he's played in the KBO for 14 seasons, all of them in Gwangju. He's a former national team member and he had a solid season at the plate last year. Jang posted a .284/.378/.424 line in 271 at bats. He could earn some attention as a free agent. I really wouldn't be surprised if a team like Lotte or LG made a run at him.

SK

SK also has 4 FA's. Infielder Ahn Kyeong-hyeon, pitcher Ga Deuk-yeom, outfielder Park Jae-hong and infielder Son Ji-hwan. The only real decision here is whether or not to keep Park Jae-hong. Park enters his age 37 season next year and he's coming off a .270/.371/.422 season. He did finish with double digit steals and homers. I think he comes back for another season. Possibly his last. Ahn and Song barely saw the field last year. Ahn turns 40 next year. It could be time for him to start selling insurance. Song is only 31 and could attract interest from another club as roster filler. Ga Deuk-yeom could be joining Ahn at the insurance company. He'll be 41 and coming off a rotten season(6.75 ERA in only 8 appearances).

Lotte

Lotte only has 2 free agents this season. Infielder Park Hyeon-seung and catcher Choi Ki-moon. Choi is a backup catcher and played like it last year. He lit the world on fire with a .645 OPS in 117 at bats. Park didn't see the field for the big club last year. I'm guessing there was an injury involved, but I can't find any recent news stories. He's a career .265 hitter who hasn't seen a KBO field since 2008 and he'll be 38 next year. Also, I hear his brother's restaurant needs a new greeter. The biggest decision for Lotte is it's manager. Jerry Royster's contract is up and talks have been slow. Based on the reports I've read, it sounds like they've figured out the money. I get the impression that Lotte only wants to give him a one year deal and Royster would like a longer contract. Unless he gets a godfather offer from a Japanese or American club, Royster will be back in the dugout for Lotte.

Samsung

Samsung has 1 free agent this year. Outfielder Park Han-yi. I'm a huge fan of Park. He's one of 2 KBO jerseys that I've purchased. It would ruin my jersey if he left, so I'm really hoping Park can reach an agreement with Samsung. Park posted a solid .311/.399/.428 line for the Lions in 334 at bats. Next year is his age 31 season. He still has a lot of years left at the top of Samsung's lineup and roaming the outfield in Daegu....for the sake of my jersey.

Seoul Heroes

The Heroes have 6 free agents this off-season. Pitches Jeon Joon-ho and Kim Su-kyeong, infielder Lee Soong-yeong, catcher Kim Dong-su and outfielders Song Ji-man and Jeon Joon-ho(not a misprint, they have 2 FA's with the same name at different positions). Song Ji-man still has a lethal bat and should find work as a DH somewhere. Hanhwa could be a team in need of some punch so Daejeon could be a destination for Song. Song posted a .289/.384/.521 line in 374 at bats. He needs 17 more homers for 300 and next year will be his age 37 season. Lee Soong-yeong is entering his age 39 season, but he posted a solid .296/.376/.401 line. He could be pushed out for a younger player or the Heroes could hang on to him for one more year. This team's financial situation is a bit murkier than the rest. Kim Dong-su will be 41 next year and outfielder Jeon barely saw the field last year. Pitcher Jeon wasn't much better. Kim Su-kyeong spent most of 2009 as a starting pitcher/punching bag. He finished 6-11 with a 6.67 ERA in 117 2/3 innings. I think he comes back, but only as a back of the rotation christmas tree.

LG

LG has 4 free agents. Pitchers Oh Sang-min and Park Ji-cheol, catcher Kim Jeong-min and infielder Park Jong-ho. Oh was one of LG's top relievers last year. I have to think he'll be returning. He's only 35 and he's coming off a 3.00 ERA in 63 appearances with 6 holds and a save. This could be the end of the line for Park Ji-cheol. He's bounced around for a while and barely saw the field last year. Kim Jeong-min has spent 16 seasons with LG as a backup catcher. I'm guessing next year will be 17. Park Jong-ho is in his 2nd stint with LG. Last year could very well have been his retirement tour.

Hanhwa




Hanhwa has 6 free agents this season. Pitcher Jeong Min-cheol, catcher Lee Do-hyeong, infielder Kim Tae-gyun, Lee Beom-ho, Kim Min-jae and Kang Dong-woo. It sounds like closer Brad Thomas is about to jump to the NPB's Hanshin Tigers. Kim Tae-gyun could very well follow. Kim talks to the press every day and basically says, "I haven't decided, yet," every day. If Kim makes the jump, his power numbers could take a hit. He's a 30+ homer guy in the KBO. I think he's more a 20-25 homer guy in the NPB, but I think his career .310 batting average is for real.



I'm honestly not sure what to make of Lee. I think he benifitted from the smaller parks more than Kim did, but he's also produced for the national team. I don't think his game translates to Japan very well. His plate discipline isn't always the best, but he was playing on a rotten club last year. That probably had an effect on his patience.

Kim Min-jae posted a .576 OPS in 272 at bats. He'll be lucky if he gets a job as a vendor. If Kang Dong-woo played on a better team, he would have gotten more attention. Kang signed on with Hanhwa after a miserable 2008 with KIA(think a .100 batting average in 40 at bats). He posted a .302/.384/.429 line in 506 at bats. He homered 10 times and stole 27 bases in 30 attempts. I think he re-signs with Hanhwa. Once one of the best Korean pitchers of the 90's Jeong Min-cheol was a punchline last year. Jeong posted 8 consecutive seasons with double digit W's during the 90's, but in 8 starts last year he posted an 0-6 record with a 9.87 ERA and 2.32(!) WHIP. I think the KBO told Jeong that it's time for a new line of work. If he signs with any one other than Hanhwa, I'll buy a hat and a personalized jersey.

A Return for Lee Byung-gyu???

The Chunichi Dragons won't be bringing outfielder Lee Byung-gyu back for another season. The 35-year old outfielder has struggled with the Dragons during his 3 years in Japan. Given his age and his lack of production(28 homers and .254 average in his 3 seasons), he probably won't be back in Japan. A KBO swan song makes sense for Lee. Lee last appeared in the KBO with the LG Twins in 2006. During his 10 years with LG, Lee posted a .312 batting average with over 1400 hits and 123 homers. His best season came in 1999 when he posted a 30/30 year with a .349 batting average, 99 RBIs and 117 runs scored. LG has a solid outfield, but if they chose not to retain slugger Roberto Petagine, Lee could make sense.

KBO Hands Out Some Hardware

The KBO gave out its two individual awards last night, MVP and Rookie of the Year.



KIA 3rd baseman Kim Sang-hyeon took home the MVP trophy with 79 out of the 90 available votes. Doosan left fielder Kim Hyeon-su got 7, LG outfielder Lee Yong-taek got 3 and SK ace Kim Kwang-hyeon got 1. Kim lead the league with 36 homers and 127 RBIs. He came in 5th place overall in OPS with a 1.011. 15 of his homers came during KIA's pennant push in August.



While Doosan Bears closer Lee Yong-chan won the Rookie of the Year award. Lee earned 42 votes while KIA 2nd baseman Ahn Chi-hong got 26. Lee won a runoff vote with Ahn because the KBO requires a clear majority. Lee was tied for the league lead in saves with 26. He posted a 4.20 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP in 51 innings pitched.

I was a little surprised by Lee winning because I didn't know they considered Lee to still be a rookie. He was with the big club for more than a month last year and it clearly says "2 years with the club" on his player page. That may or may not include time in the lower league. KIA 2nd baseman Ahn Chi-hong and Doosan outfielder Jeong Su-bin both have 0's in the field for years played. Whatever. Good for Lee.

Official TSKB 2009 Year End Awards

No, Kanye. Beyonce is not getting the MVP award. I know her music video was great, but she doesn't play baseball. Welcome to the 2009 TSOKB Awards ceremony. This year Simon is helping me hand out the hardware. Let's get started.

Matt: Thank you for joining me this year, Simon.

Simon: It's a pleasure. Let's get this started.

2009 KBO MVP


M : There's one man whose contribution really jumped out at me this year. KIA 3rd baseman Kim Sang-hyeon lead the league with 36 homers and 127 RBIs. He came in 5th with a 1.011 OPS and was the key kog in the Tigers lineup. Lotte DH Hong Seong-heun(.371/.435/.533) and Doosan left fielder Kim Hyeon-su(.357/.448/.589) should get some votes, but this year's choice is clear. It's Sang-hyeon's award.

S : MVP will have to come from the Tigers. Kim Sang-hyeon is the top hitter, but team stats show the Tigers ended the season dead last in team batting average (0.267), hits (1191), and at bats (4455). While KIA was 3rd in home runs and they did win the Korean Series with a home run (156), but it seems that they did not win the regular season grind with their offense.

On the other hand, KIA was second in team ERA (3.92), first in team wins (81), second in runs allowed (581), and second in earned runs (522). KIA, the best team in the 2009 KBO season, won with defense. So, the most valuable player on this team will have to be a pitcher. Aquilino Lopez lead KIA's pitching staff in wins (14), innings pitched (190.3), strikeouts (83), and ERA (3.12). He did the most to keep KIA's defensive averages down and thus allowed KIA to win both the regular season and the playoffs while KIA's offense comparatively struggled.
Aquilino Lopez: 2009 MVP.

2009 KBO LVP (The Kim Jae-geol Award)


M : I think Lotte SS Park Ki-hyuk gets it this year. In 299 AB's, he posted a .541 OPS. He struck out 61 times and only walked 29. He did manage 7 stolen bases, but he was caught 6 times. He was also prone to the occasional fielding boner.

S : Park Ki-hyuk never did anything to help his team in the many Lotte games I saw this season. You'd only give this award to starters and regular players. Of all the starters and regular players I saw this season, a pylon could have done a better job at shortstop in Busan this year.

2009 KBO 사이영 Award(Pitcher of the Year)

M : The unwritten rules are as follows. 1. Only give it to a Non-Korean if he does something amazing(i.e. Danny Rios winning 22 games while injecting whale placenta into his eyes in 2007). 2. Give it to the best guy under 22 who will be throwing 80 mph in 3 years. 3. Give it to someone who actually deserves it. Injuries to starting pitchers left the field muddled. SK ace Kim Gwang-hyun was well on his way to his 2nd straight MVP award, but a broken hand after a Kim Hyeon-su line drive ended his season in August. I'm giving it to KIA relief pitcher Yoo Dong-hoon. Yoo recorded 22 saves and 10 holds while posting a 0.53 ERA and 0.74 WHIP in 57 appearances. After dominating in middle relief, Yoo won the closer job and Yoon Seok-min was allowed to continue burning out his arm in the rotation. KIA pheeeenom Han Ki-joo is bitterly sipping soju and muttering, "It should've been me...It should've been me." I think KIA's two non-Korean starting pitchers, Aquilino "Senor Smoke" Lopez and Rick "Guts" Guttormson probably get some MVP votes, but the best pitcher of 2009 was clearly Yoo Dong-hoon.


S : This must go to a starting pitcher. I believe relief pitchers come into games and pitch only an inning or two have inherited what the starting pitchers created. They are helpers and assistants rather than the person in control. Ryu Hyun-jin won 13 games for the very weak Hanhwa Eagles team this year. Other top pitchers like Kim Gwang-hyun and Lopez above posted similar win totals pitching for top level teams. Kim Gwang-hyun had a spectacular ERA (2.80) and winning percentage (0.857). But he only pitched 138.3 innings compared to almost 200 innings pitched by the other top pitchers. Plus he pitched for the very defensively strong SK team. A team that put up good defensive numbers without him pitching a lot of innings due to injury. Ryu, again pitching for the hapless Eagles, won 13 games out of the teams total 46 wins. That is 28% of Hanhwa's wins. (In comparison, Kim was responsible for 15% of SK's wins). Ryu's 3.57 ERA doesn't shine, but he pitched for a team that was dead last in many defensive categories. His league leading 188 strikeouts helped Hanhwa become the 2nd in team strikeouts in the league (He was responsible for 21% of team strikeouts). He also finished 2nd in the league in innings pitched (189.3) and 3rd in hits given up (180). Succeeding with the Eagles makes it all the more special and he deserves to be recognized as the best pitcher in the 2009 KBO season.

2009 KBO Cy Yuck


M : I really thought Hanhwa starting pitcher Kim Hyeok-min would earn this one, but I can't give it to him. By the end of the year, I actually felt bad watching poor Kim take the mound. He had the shit kicked out of him all season. By the time August came, it was getting depressing. Anyone else and they would have developed a drinking problem. Kim posted a 7.87 ERA and 1.92 WHIP in 116 2/3 innings. He lead the league in losses with 14. You're probably asking, "Matt, that sounds pretty fucking awful. This guy isn't the worst pitcher from 2009?" Well, dear reader, I'll tell you. Look no farther than Bae Yong-su and his 1-12 record. Bae went from awful starting pitcher to bullpen disaster by June. He ended the year with a 7.26 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP. Not so bad? Well, he gave up 18 homers in 75 2/3 innings. As depressing as Kim was, Bae is even sadder. Bae was once a key kog in the Samsung Championship Machine. During the 2006 pennant race, Bae blew out his arm, missed all of 2007 thanks to surgery and rehab and now he's about a year away from selling insurance.

S : Rick Bauer of the Twins swaggered off the plane with his California coolness and was sent back where he flew in from with his 3 starts, 2 innings pitched, and 78.65 earned run average in Korean baseball (exaggerated.. but if you saw him pitch, you wouldn't think I was exaggerating). I kind of feel sorry for the guy but.. nobody will remember him next year (I don't think nobody remembers him this year).



M : I will never forget the Rick Bauer experience.

2009 KBO Rookie of the Year


M : This was a promising field that burned out early and limped to the finish. I think KIA Tigers 2nd baseman Ahn Chi-hong probably wins the award, but I can't give it to him. He played a competent 2nd base, but he only hit .230 for most of the season and struck out a TON. I'm going with Doosan Bears spark plug Jeong Su-bin. Jeong was a bundle of energy wrapped in a Bears uni. He was a solid late inning defensive replacement and pinch runner for most of the season. When starting center fielder Lee Jong-wook missed time due to injury, Jeong stepped in and did a solid job. His .264/.340/.390 slash line isn't impressive, but he scored 47 runs and stole 13 bases in 231 AB's. Somehow, he also hit 3 homers.

S : I wasn't really that impressed with any of the rookies. I'm leaving this blank on my ballot.

2009 Korean Series, Game 7

KIA 6, SK 5
W - Yoo Dong-hoon, L - Chae Byeong-yong
KIA wins the series, 4-3

KIA won their 10th KBO championship thanks to a walk-off, solo home run from DH Na Ji-hwan. With the score tied at 5 and one out in the 9th inning, SK pitcher Chae Byeong-yong left a fastball in on Na's hands and Na put it over the left field wall for a walk off winner. The blast was Na's second home run of the game. He finished 2-4 with a walk, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. He also pocketed the series MVP award.

This game was an absolute battle. The Wyverns jumped out to an early lead thanks to a homer from 1st baseman Park Jeong-kwon. The Wyverns actually held a 5-1 lead in the 6th before KIA mounted a comeback. Series MVP made it 5-3 with a 2-run homer in the 6th. KIA rookie 2nd baseman Ahn Chi-hong drew the Tigers closer with a solo homer in the 7th. KIA also tied the score in the 7th on a base hit from outfielder Kim Won-seob with the bases loaded. Neither team really threatened until Na's dramatic blast in the 9th.



Chae took the walk off as well as could be expected. I can't believe they made the Wyverns stay on the field for the celebration.

This was the first time the Korean Series went to 7 games since 2004. The team formerly known as the Hyundai Unicorns defeated the Samsung Lions, but needed 9 games to finish the series. 2 of the games ended in ties. This championship was KIA center fielder Lee Jong-beom's 4th of his career. The 39-year old won his first championship as a rookie in 1993. He was the MVP of the '93 series. He was also a key member of the '96 and '97 championship teams.