“I can throw 30!”
Samsung Lions pitching coach Chung Min-tae ordered 20 bullpen pitchers from foreign pitchers. However, Denny Reyes said through an interpreter manager that he would throw 30. Connor Seabold, who was next to him, also threw 30 bullpen pitchers quietly. Chung Min-tae and Samsung manager Park Jin-man, who were watching the bullpen pitcher on the first day of the camp, smiled broadly.
Connor and Reyes threw a bullpen session at the Akama Stadium in Onnason, Okinawa, Japan on Sunday. Connor did not measure his speed, and Connor displayed fastballs, changeups, cut fastballs, and sliders, while Reyes displayed all kinds of pitches he could throw, including fastballs, two-seam fastballs, sweepers, curves, and changeups, to adjust his senses. The bullpen catchers also shouted, “Good ball!” every pitch.
Coach Chung Min-tae, who watched their catches on the previous day and bullpen pitching the following day, said, “I am pitching without unnecessary issues. I think he has good control. I also confirmed that his breaking balls are good. It is still his first pitching, so we have to wait and see. We will have to see how he throws in future practice games.” Manager Park Jin-man also added, “I am looking forward to seeing his pitches being stable.”
Considering that it is the first day of the camp, their bullpen pitching is quite unusual. It is common for foreign pitchers of Samsung to pitch in a bullpen session on the second term or the second week of the camp at the earliest. This shows that they have been building up their physical fitness during the off-season. Manager Park Jin-man even said, “I was surprised to see them pitching in the bullpen session as soon as they arrived.” “We have practice games starting from the third term of the camp. Considering this, it is not that the schedule for bullpen pitching is fast. It is not a big problem because they have been building up well during the off-season,” coach Chung Min-tae said.
After finishing bullpen pitching, Reyes said, “I trained well at home during the offseason. I told my coach that I would throw 30 because I thought 20 was too small (because I was in good condition),” adding, “I felt so good because it was my first bullpen pitching at Samsung. I will prepare well while gradually increasing my physical condition before the season.” Connor also expressed his confidence, saying, “Overall, I really liked the bullpen pitching. I didn’t know when I should aim for, so I tried my best to build my body as fast as possible before the camp. I will be a player who can help the team by elevating my body well.”
After replacing foreign pitchers after the 2023 season, Samsung recruited Conor Seabold for a total of 1 million U.S. dollars (down payment of 100,000 dollars, annual salary of 800,000 dollars, incentive fee of 100,000 dollars). At that time, Samsung said that it uses fastballs with an average speed of 150 kilometers, changeups, sliders, and other high-quality breaking balls. As the ball is widely used on both sides of the strike zone, Samsung boasts strong pitching and stable ball control.
Samsung, which had been negotiating with David Buchanan for renewal of contract, failed to find a point of contact and hired a new foreign pitcher Denny Reyes. Reyes, who signed a contract with Samsung for a total of 800,000 dollars (down payment of 100,000 dollars, annual salary of 500,000 dollars, option of 200,000 dollars), was evaluated by the team at the time of recruitment, saying, “He throws various breaking balls with a maximum speed of 150 kilometers, sliders, changeups, and cutters, and also uses high-quality pitching capability optimized for robot refereeing.”
BY: 토토사이트 순위