Pitchers have to use all the courses well, but inevitably they are difficult and sometimes afraid to throw the ball into the body of the batter. Clever hitters make good use of this. It is an absolute truth that a good pitcher and a bad pitcher are divided into side games.
In that respect, the player who surprises is Na Kyun-an (25), who leads Lotte’s starting rotation at the beginning of the season. Na Gyun-an, who played an active role as a catcher in high school and received an actual reputation as a catcher (3rd overall in the 2nd round of Lotte in 2017), failed to meet the expectations of a catcher and turned to a pitcher. It is in 2021 that he debuted as a pitcher on the stage of his first team. However, within two years of his debut, he was reborn as the best player in the league. It’s a twist no one expected.
Na Kyun-an is not a fast ball player. The average velocity of the fastball is formed in the early and mid-140 km range. However, he has a stable command. His greatest strength is that he is good at the right-handed side, which right-handers can consider the most difficult. He’s not at all afraid of stabbing deep right-handed hitters, but rather throws with confidence. Others have a lot to think about. When he’s thinking about the body, it’s not easy for him to hit the forkball that suddenly drops.
Yoon Seok-min, a member of the ‘Sporttime Baseball’ committee, who was one of the best pitchers in the league during his active career, praised Na Kyun-an’s side game while watching the kt match held at Sajik Stadium on the 9th. Na Kyun-an, who started as a starter that day, completely blocked the kt lineup, which had recently risen. In 7 innings, 4 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts, no run, gave the team a valuable victory and won the second win of the season. He was responsible for two consecutive scoreless games, a quality start, and Lotte’s two wins so far this season.
Commissioner Yoon Seok-min said, “Because I am a catcher, my arm swing is short. If I throw my body well, I have no choice but to pull the timing forward for batters to hit. In that situation, I can’t hit a forkball. Na Kyun-an, who owns a forkball, can get the advantage of a body game.” He emphasized repeatedly that it is not easy to find a player who is good at playing on the inside.
Na Kyun-an’s side game on this day was better than in 2022. According to the tally of ‘Trackman’, which provides tracking data to 9 KBO league clubs, Na Kyun-an’s 2022 right-handed opponent’s body win rate was 37.5%. This was also not low, but on this day, the rate of winning against right-handed opponents against kt reached a whopping 51.7%. In addition, the ball is also good, so it can explain why kt hitters made so many misses on the forkball. The left-handed opponent’s body win rate also increased from 28.1% in 2022 to 33.3% on this day.
Commissioner Yoon said, “There is an opinion that it would be nice if the speed would increase further. However, when the speed is increased by 1-2 km, the difference is one out of 10. Of course, this is not a small difference, but it is better to maintain the current advantage. good,” he said. If the speed increases, he will become a more threatening pitcher, but he thought that if he had a command like resignation kt on the 9th, it would be enough to deal with batters by itself.
Na Kyun-an is 25 years old this year. Coincidentally, the age limit for players participating in the Hangzhou Asian Games held in September this year is 25 years old. The tournament, which was scheduled to be held last year, was delayed by a year due to circumstances in China, so the KBO also raised the age by one year. Na Kyun-an is just caught here. If he has the same pitching and stability as he has now, there is no reason why he cannot be selected for the national team. Attention is focusing on whether Transformers’ jackpot march can lead to the Asian Games. 먹튀검증