Did you finally catch the ball? Single-A Jang Hyun-seok's first walk of the season, expectation for promotion to 0.136 double-A in May

May 28, 2025

Did you finally catch the ball? Single-A Jang Hyun-seok's first walk of the season, expectation for promotion to 0.136 double-A in May
LA Dodgers Single A Rancho Cucamonga Jang Hyun-seok is finishing the inning by striking out Felin Pellesten with a swing and miss in the bottom of the first inning in an away game against Modesto on the 28th (Korea time). Photo = MiLB.TV Capture



Future big leaguer Jang Hyun-seok, who is growing up in LA Dodgers Farm, pitched meaningfully.

Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Chang Hyun-seok started the away game against the Modesto Knuts (under the Seattle Mariners) at John Thurman Field in Modesto, California on the 28th (Korea time), contributing to an 11-5 victory by giving up two hits and blocking two runs in four innings.

Jang Hyun-suk, who threw 57 pitches, hit 37 strikes and struck out seven. He has seven strikeouts, which is his most tie in a game.




Jang Hyun-seok, who cooked three batters with two strikeouts with 15 balls in the bottom of the first inning, increased his momentum by striking out all three batters swinging in the second inning with a 4-0 lead.

However, he allowed two runs in the third inning with a two-run home run leading 8-0. Jang Hyun-seok, who gave up a right-handed hit to lead Matthew Ellis, hit a home run over the left fence after hitting a second fastball into the middle of right-handed giant Ryan Piccolo. It was his second homerun of the season.

But it didn't shake more. He struck out subsequent Gabriel Moncada and Curtis Washington Jr. with back-to-back rookie strikes, then caught Carlos Jimenez with a fly ball to center field to end the inning. Then, in the fourth inning, he overpowered all three batters with a mistake and completed the mission on the day.




Did you finally catch the ball? Single-A Jang Hyun-seok's first walk of the season, expectation for promotion to 0.136 double-A in May
사진=MiLB.com
It should be noted that Jang Hyun-seok did not give up a walk for the first time this season. In the previous nine games, he allowed walks every time, revealing chronic ball control anxiety. However, Jang Hyun-seok silenced the opponent's batters with a corner walk that penetrates every corner, stable game management, and aggressive pitching with powerful fastballs, curves, and sliders.

As a result, Jang Hyun-seok threw 32 ⅔ innings in 10 Single A games this season, giving up 19 hits and 26 walks, striking out 43 to mark a 4.96 ERA, a 0.167 hit rate and WHIP 1.38. Jang Hyun-seok's exact speed is unknown, but considering that he hit a maximum of 99 miles last year, it is analyzed that he is forming at an average of 95 to 96 miles this season.

Jang Hyun-seok pitched in 18 games (three starts) last year, including 13 rookie-level games and five single-A games, and threw 36 ⅔ innings with an ERA of 6.14. However, he allowed as many as 27 walks, reaching a WHIP of 1.34 despite a 0.167 hit rate. Stabilization of ball control has emerged as a challenge.




This year, it seems to have stabilized in May after experiencing difficulties in controlling the ball at the beginning of the season. In five games in May, he gave up eight hits and 10 walks with an ERA of 4.67 in 17 ⅓ innings and struck out 26. The hit rate in May was 0.136, which is also showing off its powerful pitching.

Jang Hyun-suk, who was born in March 2004, signed with the Dodgers for $900,000 in August 2023. Since this year is actually the first full-time season, the number of pitching innings is gradually increasing. It remains to be seen whether he can be promoted to either High-Single A or Double A in the second half.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.