The biggest concern for the KIA Tigers' spring camp is when Cho Sang-woo, the national team's closing pitcher, will take the mound. Cho is an all-around bullpen pitcher who can pitch in all weather conditions not only in the ninth inning but also in the eighth inning as a setup man. Before the second spring camp, Lee Bum-ho gave a hint.메이저사이트

In the 2024 season, Kia had its best year. Kim Do-young displayed full potential with 38 home runs and 40 steals, and the team overcame a crisis to win the regular season title. In the Korean Series, the team also beat the Samsung Lions to achieve the much-heralded V12. It was all the more meaningful as it fired a congratulatory shot at its home turf of Gwangju for the first time in 37 years.

Kia aims to win the title again this year. It also showed its determination to win the title in the composition of foreign players. It broke up with Socrates Brito, who had a batting average of 0.310 with 26 home runs last season, and hired Patrick Wisdom, a slugger who hit 88 home runs in the Major League. It also put "Ace" James Nail back on the bench and brought in a new ace pitcher, Adam Oler.

The Korean pitcher now focuses on recruiting Cho. On Dec. 19 last year, Kia gave 1 billion won (approx. 1 billion U.S. dollars) in cash to the Kiwoom Heroes and the first and fourth rounds to recruit Cho. "We agreed on the need to strengthen the bullpen as well as the field, and pursued this trade. Cho's main weapon is a fastball in the 150-kilometer range and sharp slider, and he is a proven pitcher who possesses various pitching styles including splitter, change-up, and curveball. As he has played a must-win role in the KBO league and international competitions, he is expected to be of great help to the team going forward," Kia said.

It has completely filled Jang's vacancy. Earlier, the LG Twins signed a four-year contract worth 5.2 billion won (1.6 billion won down payment, 3.6 billion won per year) with Jang. Kia, which lost Jang, settled its vacancy under the big name of Cho Sang-woo.

Coexistence with Jung has emerged as the biggest issue. Since 2021, Jung has become the team's unrivaled closing pitcher, surpassing 20 saves for four consecutive seasons. He kept the back door tight with 31 saves last year, and made his youngest 100 saves in the KBO league at the age of 22 years and eight months against Kiwoom on April 24. Cho Sang-woo has made 88 saves so far, and has faced a critical finishing touch at a national team game. It would not be strange for anyone to take the mound in the ninth inning.

Before leaving the camp, Lee said he would make a decision after talking with Cho Sang-woo. "I try not to change the framework as much as possible. During the course of the season, there could be some players injured. I think I will maintain the framework now," Lee said, hinting at Chung's final appearance.

How did he change his mind after the first Irvine spring camp in the U.S.? Coach Lee Bum-ho said on the 19th, "Cho Sang-woo has played so many big games and thrown a lot of national teams. We need to discuss more with the pitching coaches about those parts, whether to put it right after Jeong Hye-young or who to give the center's batting line up in the front and who to give the gap in the middle of Jung Hae-young."

It seems that he has not decided on the exact position yet. He was considering everything from the closing to the setup man or the previous appearance. That's inevitable. KIA's bullpen is the strongest in both quantity and quality in the league. There are many excellent resources such as Cho Sang-woo and Jung Hae-young, Jeon Sang-hyun, Kwak Do-gyu, Lee Joon-young, and Choi Ji-min. Sidearm Lim Ki-young, who was sluggish last season, also had a career as a league-leading bullpen with a 2.96 ERA with 16 holds in 2023.

Manager Lee Bum-ho said, "If Cho Sang-woo is in great condition and starts with a bang from the beginning, I think it is right to put him on the 8th inning." First of all, it can be interpreted that Cho thinks of him as a setup man. If so, Jeon Sang-hyun will be in charge of the 7th inning. A must-win formula will be drawn for Jeon Sang-hyun, Cho Sang-woo and Jung Hae-young.

As there are many great resources, I am constantly thinking about it. Manager Lee Bum-ho said, "There are many options. There are also a lot of good left-handers. Since the team can win first, I will think about how to match the rotation to win."