As of the 29th, Samsung is down to seventh place with 19 wins and 25 losses. Their winning percentage is just 0.432.
But it’s not without hope. Come June, help will arrive. The return of injured players and, most importantly, the return of players who have been away on military duty will be a big boost.
At the centre of this are Choi Chae-heung and Choi Ji-kwang.
They’re a godsend for Samsung, which is struggling to rotate its starting rotation, let alone its bullpen.
Choi Chae-heung is the favourite to be the fifth starter and Choi Ji-kwang the closer.
However, Samsung coach Park Jin-man has a different idea. He doesn’t assume that just because he returned from the military that he will be given a spot.메이저사이트
Instead, he wants to see them compete and earn their spots.
Park told MK Sports, “I can’t guarantee that Choi Chae-heung will be in the starting five. Choi Ji-Kwang’s position also depends on his performance after his return. We don’t have a lot of players, but there is definitely competition in the team. He’ll have to win that competition to earn his spot. There’s no such thing as an automatic spot. There will be competition for spots,” he said.
Another contender for the fifth spot is Yang Chang-seop.
Although he took the loss, Yang pitched an impressive five innings on the 26th, allowing three runs on seven hits (one home run) with one walk and three strikeouts.
It was enough to earn him the fifth spot.
Park Jin-man’s calculation is that Choi Chae-heung will have to do better than Yang Chang-seop to win the fifth spot.
Choi has appeared in three games for the Sangmu this season, going 1-1 with a 5.06 ERA.
It’s not an outstanding performance. He’s been up and down from game to game, which makes him a little less reliable. It’s hard to put him ahead of Yang Chang-seop.
He’s the closest thing to a fifth starter, but he’s not going to get there easily. He’ll need to show that he’s stable after returning to the team to be considered for the fifth spot.
He will also need to prove himself in the best-of-five group.
Choi Chae-heung will have to show that he is worthy of a spot in the top five upon his return, but there is no guarantee. He’ll have to surpass Park Jin-man’s tests.
It remains to be seen if Choi can beat the competition and earn a starting spot.