Wilmer Font (32), who is aiming to return to the major leagues (MLB) after playing for two years at SSG, was famous for his fast ball since his minor league days. He mainly played in the bullpen before coming to Korea, but his powerful fastball, averaging 95 miles per hour (153 km), was a stepping stone to success in the KBO League as well.
Font played as a full-fledged starter in the KBO League and was on the side of adjusting his speed quickly, but he could throw a ball at 150 km per hour if he wanted to. In addition, from 2022, the upper part of the strike zone in the KBO League was expanded, creating an amazing synergy. At the missile-like fastball that fell from top to bottom, opponent batters often made a weak swing by hitting the bottom of the ball or hitting the bottom of the ball. Here, too, there was a curve that fell from high course to high course, so it was difficult for hitters to cope.
There have been times when skilled players have joined, but what KBO League clubs expect from foreign pitchers is strength. This is because you need to have strength to make pitches that can overwhelm your opponent, and there are fewer variables for in-play hits. While many clubs that saw the success of Font have turned to fireballers rather than virtuosos, the selections of KIA and Hanwha are noteworthy.
KIA did not renew the contract after careful consideration with two left-handed pitchers (Sean Nolin and Thomas Panoni) who had above-average performances this year, and instead recruited Sean Anderson (28) and Adonis Medina (26) in turn. The styles of the two players are slightly different, but they have one thing in common: they can throw a fast ball. Hanwha also made the decision to recruit right-hander Birch Smith (32) with the risk of injury. Smith is a player with many injuries, but Hanwha could not turn away from his power to overwhelm the opponent.
All three players are selected as players who can hit 150 km at any time if they want to. In the case of Smith, the average velocity of a four-seam fastball reached 93.4 mph in the major leagues in 2021. If you run as a starter in Korea, this speed seems to reduce about 2 to 3 km, but it is still an attractive speed. It has keys similar to fonts here. If Font’s strength was the release point, Smith has a good lower body movement to drag the ball forward as much as possible and hit it. The sensible restraint that batters feel can be faster.
There are many scouts who evaluate Anderson and Medina as slightly different styles. The overall evaluation is that Medina is slightly better. In the case of Anderson, multiple scouts say that while there were teams that were watched as a priority, like KIA, there were also teams that were subordinated. However, the fact that the two players have something in common that they can throw a fast ball, but their patterns and styles are somewhat different, could benefit KIA’s rotation operation.
Anderson is tall and the point where he draws the ball is very forward. He was evaluated for making good use of his physical condition. In addition, the spin of his fastball was excellent even in the major leagues. Anderson’s four-seam fastball average rotation (RPM) in 2022 was 2361, which was good enough to be in the top 5% in the major leagues. Of course, the number of rotations does not determine everything, but at least the appearance of throwing from the mound is evaluated as being sufficiently threatening to hitters. 토토
Medida is smaller than Anderson, but has faster velocity and is a pitcher who knows how to throw a variety of breaking pitches rather than relying on fastballs. It is known that some clubs have seriously investigated him because he is still young and has potential to grow. His form is slightly smaller than Anderson’s, but he also has good rotation on his four-seam fastball and good movement on his sinker fastball. He has a problem with pitching, but he is well-suited to the KBO league, and he is said to be a pitcher who is difficult to fail.