The NC Dinos departed for their spring training camp in Arizona, USA, through Incheon International Airport on the 30th.
Last year, NC spent the season as an “underdog rebellion.
Key resources such as catcher Yang Yang-ji, infielder Noh Jin-hyuk and pitcher Won Jong-hyun left the team as free agents.
The team brought in catcher Park Se-hyuk, who led the Doosan Bears to the 2019 championship, but the fall baseball season was also considered difficult for NC.
NC showed off its strength. They maintained their qualification for fall baseball throughout the regular season. They finished the regular season in fourth place, 토토사이트 although they lost some momentum at the end of the regular season due to physical limitations.
In the Fall League, they were even scarier. They swept Doosan and SSG Landers to advance to the playoffs. They took the first two games against KT Wiz, but lost the next three to fall short of advancing to the Korean Series.
At the center of NC’s run last year was “monster pitcher” Eric Peddie.
Pedi went 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA in 30 regular season games. He struck out 209 batters, becoming the first pitcher to win 20 games and strike out 200 since Seon Dong-ryul of the 1986 Hattae Tigers.
Peddie signed a two-year, $15 million contract with the Chicago White Sox after the season and wrote “KBO Reverse Export Myth.
NC is definitely missing an ace. Peddie’s departure is even more disappointing as the team is looking to reach higher this season. Nevertheless, NC coach Kang Myung-ho said before his departure, “It’s the same as going to spring training every year. Half expectations, half worries.”
Despite not having any solid reinforcements, he believes in the player’s growth. “First of all, I’m looking forward to this season because we had a good showing last season, so I’m looking forward to giving fans hope rather than worry. I think NC needs to secure the starting lineup to become a stronger team, so I’m a little more worried about that part,” he said.
Pedi’s absence has forced a complete rebuilding of the starting lineup, but the team has pinned its hopes on a new foreign player.
NC signed Daniel Castano, 29, for a total of $850,000 ($130,000 signing bonus, $52,000 salary, $200,000 incentive) and Kyle Hart, 31, for a total of $900,000 ($200,000 signing bonus, $500,000 salary, $200,000 incentive).
Castano’s strengths include a fastball that sits between 148 and 152 miles per hour and a mix of pitches, including a two-seam, slider, cutter, and changeup. Hart’s fastball tops out at 149 kilometers per hour and he throws a two-seam, cutter, slider, curve, and changeup, giving him a wide variety of pitches and pitches that can be used against hitters.
“They may not be as powerful as Pedi, but I’m excited that both Castano and Hart have a sense of stability as starting pitchers,” Kang said.
Currently, NC’s starting rotation consists of two foreign players and Shin Min-hyuk. “We plan to keep the same six players (including foreigners) who started last year,” Kang said, “Kim Si-hoon, Kim Young-kyu, and Kim Jae-yeol, who joined us in the second round of the draft, 안전 토토사이트 so we have a total of nine players in the starting lineup. We plan to finalize the selection after a fair competition.”
With such a good performance in his first year as head coach, there was some pressure for the second year. “Last year’s results were achieved by our players with aspirations. I feel that this season is important to unite the players a little more and become a sustainable powerhouse. I will work hard with the players to make it happen.”