LG manager Yoon Kyung-yup once expressed the possibility of turning pitcher Yoo Young-chan (26) into a starter. After hearing this story, Yoo himself revealed his thoughts.
“LG’s current problem is the homegrown starting pitching staff. There are many players who can start, but no one has established themselves. Aside from Im Chan-kyu, Lee Min-ho, Kim Yun-sik, Lee Sang-young, Kang Hyo-jong, and Lee Ji-gang have been in the lineup, but there is no pitcher who can reliably go five innings.
This is making manager Yoon Kyung-yup’s head hurt. He’s even considering turning one of his bullpen options into a starter.안전놀이터
But not this year. It’s for next year.
The pitcher he’s thinking about is Yoo Young-chan. After completing his military service last year, Yoo became a member of the bullpen.
At first, he played a long relief role, but he gradually gained the trust of the coaching staff and moved up to the closer role. He throws three pitches: a fastball in the low 140 kilometers per hour, a splitter, and a slider.
The most outstanding part is his pitching form, which is so smooth and balanced that he can be a starting pitcher with a high pitch count.
“I’ve been thinking about using Yoo as a starting pitcher from the final camp or spring training,” said Yeom Kyung-yup.
However, with the poor performance of the homegrown starters, he may take a risk. By “risk,” we mean that if the starting lineup isn’t in place by the deadline, Yong-yeop Yeom will switch to Young-chan.
In the meantime, Yoo continues to please the manager. He can pitch multi-inning games.
On the 16th, he pitched 1⅔ scoreless innings to earn a save (his fourth of the season). In particular, in the top of the seventh inning, with runners on first and third base, he was unperturbed by the bench clearing due to his dune buggy.
“The pitching coach told me not to worry about it and just throw four pitches, so I did. I tried to enjoy the atmosphere and I think it turned out well,” Yoo said after the game.
He then talked about changing the starting lineup. “I believe that the domestic starters will pitch well,” Yoo said, adding, “If you give me a chance, I’ll do it, but I don’t think it’s this year. For now, I will pitch from the bullpen to suit my situation.”
He’s no stranger to starting. He started in the Futures League in 2020 and in September of last year before joining the military.
“Whenever I pitched as a starter, the results were not good,” Yoo said. I need to improve my stamina, but I’m not ready yet. The bullpen is better right now. I’ll trust the starters,” he laughed.