“If we can’t solve the problem of foreign pitchers, we won’t set foot on Korean soil.”
Shim Jae-hak, head of the KIA Tigers, expressed his determination to leave the United States to solve the problem of foreign pitchers. As a result, Shim made a bold decision to replace all foreign pitchers. And by recruiting veteran catcher Kim Tae-gun, he succeeded in making up for the team’s weaknesses. Even on the field, as if in response to the decision to reinforce the power of the leader, he ran 5 consecutive wins and ignited the rebound.
Director Shim left for the United States on June 28th. It was a surprise trip to the United States by the general manager to solve the problem of foreign pitchers. In fact, Thomas Panoni was the replacement for Adonis Medina, who was decided to release first before Shawn Anderson. It was Shim’s original idea to recruit Panoni instead of Medina and decide to recruit Sanchez according to Anderson’s pitching process and results.체스카지노
KIA general manager Shim Jae-hak returned home after replacing all foreign pitchers in the United States. Photo = KIA Tigers
However, there are variables. The original plan went awry as Panoni received a call-up to the major leagues immediately after Shim left for the United States. In the end, the plan was reversed in the direction of recruiting Sanchez, who had a sympathy in advance. This is the background of the picture in which Sanchez, who was a substitute for Anderson, was recruited as a substitute for Medina.
Shim Jae-hak, who returned to Korea last weekend, said, “Unlike Medina, Sanchez is a pitcher with a stable WHIP, and we judged that he was not a style that would be shaken by his first pitch. In the case of Sanchez’s pitching motion, which is different from others, he analyzed the video from almost all games, and found that there were no major problems in the field. Also, starting from the second half, it is a situation where he will pitch a little more than 10 times, so the time for batters from other clubs to adapt to Sanchez’s pitching is relatively short. He decided that such unfamiliarity could work better.”
As for the re-recruitment of Panoni, after the call-up to the major leagues, all foreign pitchers were eventually replaced as planned.
General manager Shim said, “Originally, I watched all four pitchers in the candidate group, including Panoni, walk around the field. I thought Panoni was in the best condition, but the major league call-up was suddenly made. However, a few days later, after the Panoni designation assignment, other clubs did not make claims, so it was easy to re-enter.”
In addition to replacing all foreign pitchers, Shim also made the decision to trade catcher Kim Tae-gun from the United States.
General Manager Shim said, “In the United States, I watched minor league games in the morning and afternoon, and in the evening, I agonized over the trade while simulating power reinforcement with the front desk. I also had to report to the CEO after watching our team play late at night. In America, I had a difficult time sleeping for about 2 hours every day. As for the trade, I struggled to pull out all the team defense saver data along with the performance prediction simulation three years later. As a result, he decided that it was better in the long run to have veteran catchers rather than fostering only with young catchers. However, because of the difficult experience of being traded during my active career, (Ryu) Ji-hyeok’s heart was the most difficult for me.”
With Shim’s bold decision, KIA will be able to aim for a rebound in the second half with a new foreign starting duo and veteran catcher Kim Tae-gun. As Kim Tae-goon and Sanchez have already been on the cusp of five consecutive wins, Panoni’s pitching, which is about to return to the KBO League in just one day, is expected to be of great interest. Above all, the ranking in the first half of the season has become important as it is again tied with the 5th place NC Dinos, who have the right to advance to fall baseball, by one game.
Shim said, “In fact, it was not easy to replace all foreign pitchers because the club had to make another investment. There were times when we fell to 9th place, but I saw that we were not in a situation to give up yet, so we persuaded the CEO about the situation in which we needed to drastically replace foreign pitchers. Thankfully, thanks to the CEO’s willing consent, I was able to move more boldly at the front line of the club.”
Next, Shim said, “Director Kim Jong-guk must have had a hard time in the first half because the mound was not easy to operate due to the sluggishness of the foreign starting pitchers. Still, from the second half, if there are no injuries, I think the team power with some competitiveness has been built. Even for the KIA fans who passionately support the team even in difficult situations, we must look to a higher place until the end.”