The demonstration game is a place to see the process, not the result. In other words, the final ranking of the demonstration game has no meaning. A win is better than a loss, but the regular season should not be predicted by the exhibition match rankings.
Two years ago, Hanwha was like that. Carlos Subero’s first year at the helm. Hanwha ran high with a final score of 6 wins and 1 loss in the demonstration game. During the demonstration game, Noh Si-hwan hit two home runs with a batting average of 0.368 and Park Jung-hyun hit two home runs with a batting average of 0.353. Ryan Carpenter and Kim Min-woo also prepared for the season smoothly as starting pitchers.
However, the indicators by sector were not outstanding. The team’s batting average was 5th with 0.259, and the defense, which attracted attention for its colorful shifts, also made 6 errors, close to one per game. The team’s ERA was 3.77, fourth, and not in the upper ranks.
The results, as we all know, were disappointing. 먹튀검증 Hanwha ranked last with a record of 49 wins, 83 losses and 12 draws in the regular season with a win rate of 0.371. Noh Si-hwan, Kim Min-woo, and Carpenter became trailers for their performances in demonstration games, but there were too few high-level players. The limits of power were clearly revealed. The mound was especially like that. In 2021 and 2022, the regular season average ERA was 4.65 (7th) and 4.83 (10th), respectively. The start and middle were weak throughout.
Therefore, we should not be too quick to predict the appearance of this year’s demonstration games. It sits high on the leaderboard, but the regular season is a marathon. Any team wins 40 games in the regular season.
There are differences though. The mound is like that. Compared to the past two years, the number of available pitching staff has increased markedly. Kiwoom and the demonstration game on the 18th can be hope. Starting with starting pitcher Moon Dong-ju, a total of 7 pitchers, Yoon San-heum, Joo Hyun-sang, Yoon Dae-kyung, Kim Seo-hyun, Han Seung-hyuk and Jang Si-hwan, collaborated to give up 2 runs in 9 innings.
The highlight was, of course, Moon Dong-ju and Kim Seo-hyun’s 150 km fastball. But that wasn’t all. Yoon San-heum, who appeared like a comet last year, Han Seung-hyuk, who was recruited through a trade, and Jang Si-hwan, who became a free agent but renewed his contract with Hanwha, also threw the ball in the second half of 140 km. During the camp, the pitchers said, “You have to throw 150 km to show your business card” is coming true.
If the mound is strong, it will not shake. If you are at the top of the team ERA, you cannot fall to the bottom. Last winter, Hanwha general manager Sohn Hyuk looked at this point as well. With the goal of strengthening the depth of the pitching staff, he diligently gathered pitchers. In addition to Han Seung-hyuk and Jang Si-hwan, Lee Tae-yang, who was recruited as a free agent, defended or added to first-team pitchers during the winter. If Moon Dong-ju and Kim Seo-hyun create a sensation, Hanwha will in fact get four new high-level pitchers. Moon Dong-ju, who was a rookie in 2022, did not even digest 30 innings in the first group last year.
It is not a complete power. Still, you have to create a team color. Starting this year, it is necessary to make the opponent feel the burden while planting the perception that it is a team with many fastball pitchers. If the fireballers completely deviate from Park Sang-won and Kim Bum-soo, the green light will be given for rebuilding. Hanwha also holds the first overall pick in the upcoming 2024 rookie draft. Whether it’s right-handed Jang Hyun-seok or left-handed Hwang Jun-seo, another top-notch talent is expected to be added.