Up to 159km left-hander. Do you like director Kim Tae-hyung? Finalist before the season → Gireko gave Lotte products...Behind the scenes story of recruiting Gamboa
May 14, 2025
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Lotte announced on the 14th the recruitment of Gamboa, a new foreign player. He will replace Charlie Barnes, who left the team the day before.
In reality, in order for a good pitcher to come out in the foreign player market, it must not be until June, when the contrast between the big league and the minor is divided. At this point, the players who will be recruited are already far from the Major League this season.
Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung is also well aware of this. However, the current gap was too big to wait until the end of June. "It's best to bring the best pitcher at this point as soon as possible," he stressed. The club did its best to answer the field's earnest requests.
Gamboa is a player who Lotte has watched for so long that he argued with Davison about whether to recruit him in the final round before this season, and has the skills to match. In this season's Triple-A, he also took the mound in 22 games (12 starts) and recorded a 3.30 ERA with three wins, six losses and one hold.
He is a left-handed fireballer who throws a maximum of 159km and an average of 151km fastballs. He experienced elbow surgery once in college, but failed to slow down his arrest. In addition to baseball in high school, he is also an all-around sportsman who played as a major star in American football and wrestling.
Fernando Valenzuela was chosen as his role model when he joined the Dodgers. It is impressive that he is a player who has consistently played as a starter despite his biggest strength. He also stands out with 51 strikeouts.He has basic fastballs, sliders, curves, changeups, and even determination. In particular, he uses powerful changeups along with fastballs with winning shots.
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He is scheduled to enter the country on the 16th. Most administrative procedures such as visas have already been completed. Only the head coach's determination remains for Gamboa's debut.
Lotte's strategy to recruit foreign players has been to reduce risks as much as possible and focus on players who will show better performance in Korean baseball than in the U.S.
But Gamboa is different. He is a pitcher who has a high point and can show overwhelming performance. It is in line with foreign first-choice pitchers coached by Kim Tae-hyung, such as Dustin Nippert, Ariel Miranda, and Raul Alcantara. However, the sense of stability, such as ball control, is somewhat inferior.
He is a pitcher who has no big league experience so far. Therefore, this trip to Korea is the biggest challenge in Gamboa's life.
Recently, he was caught by fans while following Lotte SNS. It is said that the DM (direct message, ear words) expressing welcome in that short time poured out, stimulating Gam Bo-ah's motivation to the fullest. Gamboa said, `I'm very happy and proud to play for Lotte. I want to go to Korea as soon as possible and wear Lotte uniform"He showed off his passion.
After all, the key is to get the first step right. If he successfully adapts to Korea, he is evaluated as a pitcher who will show his presence as a first starter.
Lotte said goodbye to Barnes on the 12th. The eight-week injury that followed this season's slump was painful.
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However, Barnes' shoulder injury was found to require as much as eight weeks of treatment, and considering his rehabilitation and sense of practice, his outing in the first half was virtually definitive. In the end, Lotte decided to break up with foreigners in their fourth year.
Lotte also holds the right to withhold Aaron Wilkerson, who played last year. Lotte will continue to communicate with Wilkerson in the future as it is a pitcher who has already shown a lot. However, he chose a more powerful pitcher this time.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
