Thursday, June 20, 2013

My Two Cents on PITCHf/x

PITCHf/x is a popular graphical analysis tool that offers great accessibility to public domain and a complementary advanced scouting system with user friendly platform which allows Sabermetric enthusiasts to manage and repurpose content and extract valuable insight to give a glimpse into the art of pitching.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

The Next Great Import from Korea?

Hyun Jin Ryu’s most significant achievement might be making Korean Baseball Organization respectable in the eyes of Major League Baseball, like Hideo Nomo to Japan, when all is said and done. So who is going to be Korean’s Shigetoshi Hasegawa? My best guess is Suk Min Yoon.

Suk Min Yoon is arguably the most highly regarded right-handed pitcher in Korea today. He achieved pitcher’s triple crown in 2011 with 17 wins, a 2.45 ERA and 178 strikeouts in 172- 1/3 innings. Yoon will be eligible for free agency this off-season. If signed, he will be more likely to become the second player to make a direct jump from KBO to the majors. Yoon pitches to both sides of the of plate with a 88-92mph fastball that touches 96. Below is Yoon’s average fastball velocity from 2009 to 2012:

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Was Ryu a Gamble?

Is Hyun Jin Ryu’s early-season success a surprise?  Definitely not for many KBO observers who have thoroughly followed Ryu since 2006. Ryu’s stellar performance against the Angels on 5/28 has commanded attention and recognition throughout the realm of Dodger Blue, but Korea Baseball still remains as an unknown territory for many baseball fans in North America. Ryu’s repertoire consists mainly of four pitches: a fastball, a slider, a curve, and a change-up. Below is Ryu’s pitch type data in his last KBO season: