Until when is Kim Kwang-hyun Yang Hyun-jong? → Won Tae-in, Kwak Bin, Son Joo-young. The era of Ryu Yoon-Kim Yang will be ended by the three native starters in their 20s
Feb 16, 2025
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This is a determined remark made by Choo Shin-soo (current SSG owner assistant) toward the Korean WBC national team two years ago. Korean baseball actually had a hard time changing the generation of starting pitchers. National team aces such as Ryu Hyun-jin (38, Hanwha), Yoon Seok-min (39, retired), Kim Kwang-hyun (37, SSG), and Yang Hyun-jong (37, KIA) are now approaching 40.
However, young domestic pitchers stood out last season. The succession structure finally began to outline. Won Tae-in (25, Samsung), and Kwak Bin (26, Doosan), who are in their mid-20s, won the joint victory. Son Joo-young (27, LG) was the only one ranked in the top 10 ERA with Won Tae-in among foreign starters.
It is the first time in eight years that the native multi-victory king has been since Yang Hyun-jong in 2017. Yang, who was born in 1988, was 29 years old at the time. Domestic pitchers under the age of 25 should be traced back to 2011. Yoon Seok-min won 17 wins, 5 losses, and ranked first in the 25-year-old season. In 2010, Kim Kwang-hyun won the title of multiple wins with 16 wins and 4 losses in the 22-year-old season.
The three also had the same thing in common as the top pick as 'Ryu Yoon Kim Yang'. Kim Kwang-hyun was nominated in the first round, and Ryu Hyun-jin, Yoon Seok-min, and Yang Hyun-jong were all from the second round. Ryu Hyun-jin was No. 2 overall, Yoon Seok-min was No. 6 overall, and Yang Hyun-jong was No. 1 overall. Won Tae-in was nominated for the first time in 2019, Kwak Bin for the first time in 2018, and Son Joo-young for the second time in 2017.
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Among them, Won Tae-in virtually solidified his native ace command. Won Tae-in pitched 150 innings for the fourth consecutive year since 2021. Won Tae-in, who jumped to 14 wins and 7 losses in 2021, in his third year as a professional, recorded 10-8 losses in 2022 and succeeded in double-digit wins for the second consecutive year. Although he won only seven games in 2023, he was responsible for 150 innings in 26 games and had a very low ERA of 3.24. He rose to the top of the most wins last season and has full potential. It's important to get on a long run track without getting hurt in the future.
Kwak Bin will also reach stability if he shows top-notch skills by this year. Kwak Bin also played 147 ⅔ in 27 games in 2022, his third year as a professional player, and made a full-time start without any problems. In 2023, he finally became a 10-win pitcher. He went 12-7 with a 2.90 ERA. The inning was a shame. He threw 127 ⅓. It exceeded 150 innings for the first time in 2024. Kwak Bin played in as many as 30 games and took 167 ⅔ innings, recording 15 wins, 9 losses and a 4.24 ERA. He is going to challenge for '10 wins for three consecutive years'.
Son Ju-young said 2025 is very important. Son Joo-young is actually in her second full-time year. Son Joo-young has consistently received opportunities since joining the team in 2017. After traveling between the first and second teams, it was only last year that the possibility was clearly proved. Son Joo-young, who has never exceeded 30 innings since his debut, pitched 144 ⅔ innings in 28 games in 2024, marking 9-10 with a 3.79 ERA. You need to prove with your skills that last year wasn't Fluke.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
