Lotte Giants Baseball
Standings Courtesy of MyKBO.net
Youman Tosses One Hitter, Giants Take Two of Three From LG
Lotte Splits Series With Samsung
Lotte Wins Lone Series Game With KIA
Lotte Takes Two of Three From SK
Lotte Splits Series With Doosan
Lotte Splits Series With LG
Lotte Sweeps Hanwha to Start the Season
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Lotte starter Ryan Sadowski speaks first to Haps Magazine Lotte Week in Review - Ryan Sadowski on 2012 BUSAN, South Korea -Yes, it is hard to believe, but it is almost baseball season again. And if the Lotte Giants hope to contend in 2012, they are going to have to deal with the likes of last year's champions, the Samsung Lions, the much improved Hanwha Eagles and their familiar foes, the SK Wyverns. Lotte has had a busy offseason, most notably with the loss of slugger Lee Dae-ho to the Orix Buffaloes of the Nippon Professional Baseball League, but they have been making moves on what has been considered their weakness for the past few years – the pitching staff.
Gone are last year’s ace, Jang Won-jun to the military, as well as import pitcher Chris Bootcheck. Signed are leftyShane Youman, Jeong Dae-hyeon, who was originally expected to be signed by the Baltimore Orioles, and 11-year SK veteran lefty Lee Seung-ho.
Lotte’s goals seem clear - hope that the offensive output doesn’t take a major downturn, improve the pitching staff in hopes of not having to score as many runs, having the ability to win the close games, and keeping the bullpen from blowing big leads like in years past. Otherwise, it could be a long season for the rabid Lotte fan base, who are dying for a KBO title. More good news for Lotte is the return of starter Ryan Sadowski. The familiar #94 is heading into his third season at Sajik, and he brings a consistent, veteran presence to the locker room. Sadowski, along with veteran Song Seung-joon, bring a wealth of talent and experience and when at their best, can dominate games from the mound. I caught up with the recently re-signed right-hander about his thoughts on the new season, the new additions to the club, and Lotte’s chances for the 2012 season.
After some speculation that 2011 may have been your last year here, are you happy to be coming back?
It was a tough decision this offseason. It was difficult to turn down the opportunity that presented itself in the States, but it would've been harder to turn down another year in Busan. How did you spend your offseason? Are you planning on adding any new pitches to your repertoire, or any new surprises for 2012? I've been spending my entire offseason weight training. I've currently added 8 kg and looking for a few more. I'll also be working this offseason to improve my change-up. How do you think the team's offseason moves (the addition of Shane Youman, Jeong Dae-hyeon and Lee Seung-ho) will help the pitching staff this year? Adding Jeong Dae-hyeon and Lee Seung-ho should really improve our bullpen. I actually don't know Shane Youman, but it would be awesome if he could fill the hole left by Jang Won-jun. How do you think Lotte will be able to cope without Lee Dae-ho's offense this year? I was in AAA in 2008 when the San Francisco Giants lost Barry Bonds, and the offense really struggled. We are going to need to get the power production from Hong Song-heun that we had in 2010, as well as the outstanding offensive output from our 1, 2, and 3 hole hitters that we had last season. What do you think are going to be the biggest changes with the club this year? Our bullpen should be much stronger. Adding Lee Seung-ho and Jeong Dae-hyeon should make a big difference. What's your goal for this season? I want to win a championship. I haven't been a part of a championship team since 2005. Any predictions on how the season will turn out? Predictions are for the media, and they are usually ridiculous. If I could predict the future, I doubt I'd be playing baseball....or working in the media. What do you think about the signings of Park Chan-ho and Kim Tae-gyun with Hanwha? Are they the team to beat this year, or is it still Samsung? Park Chan-Ho is a baseball legend. With the exception of last year, his entire professional career was in the U.S. and I would imagine things are going to be a bit surreal for him this year. I'm excited he's going to be in the KBO. I have never seen Kim Tae-gyun play, so I can't really comment on his impact. I would still consider Samsung the team to beat. They had the best pitching last year. They had the MVP Choi Hyung-woo, and they have added Lee Seung-yeop from Japan. When will you be arriving back in Korea? And when does training camp start? I will start training camp in Kagoshima, Japan the first week of February and should be back in Korea around March 1st. Are you going to get back into blogging again this year? I'd like to do something, but I haven't come up with anything creative or fun yet. Maybe we should follow Babo Hong all day and show you how crazy the life of a translator is. He's really the only one who understands everything from both sides. Lotte Makes Offseason Moves - January 29, 2012
The Giants are going to look at little different in 2012
BUSAN - The Lotte Giants have officially lost first baseman and All-Star Lee Dae-ho to Orix of the Japanese League. Lee signed a 10.1 billion won deal for two years.
True Stories of Baseball blogger Matthew Dewoskin also reports that Lotte reliever Lim Kyeong-wan signed with SK in a three-year deal worth 1.1 billion won.
However, the recently signed Jeong Dae-hyeon, who decided not to make the jump to the Baltimore Orioles and inked a four-year deal with the club. He'll likely assume the ninth inning duties for Lotte next year.
“I’d like to thank the club for recognizing my value,” Jeong said. “I am happy to be playing in Busan, a big baseball town with a passionate fan base.”
Lotte also nabbed four gold gloves this past year. Winners were catcher Kang Min-ho, 1st baseman Lee Dae-ho, right fielder Sohn Ah-seop and designated hitter Hong Seong-hoon.
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Team Leaders Avg: Hong Seung-hoon .386 Home Runs: Hong Seung-hoon 3 RBIs: Hong Seung-hoon 21 ERA: Youman 1.53 Wins: Lee Yong-hoon 3 K's: Youman 26
Next Home Game
May 8, 9, 10 2012 Roster 1 - Lee Sung-hwa OF 2 - Cho Sung-hwan 2B 3 - Jung Bo-Myung IF 5 - Park Jin-hwan IF 7 - Moon Gyu-Hyeon IF 8 - Jeon Joon-Woo OF 11 - Lee Jung-min P 12 - Kim Joo-Chan CF 13 - Hwang Jae-Gyun IF 14 - Kang Young-Sik P 15 - Yang Jong-min IF 16 - Park Joon-suh IF 17 - Go Won-joon P 18 - Kim Dae-woo P 19 - Lim Kyung-Wan P 20 - Huh Joon-hyuk P 21- Song Seung-Jun P 22 - Jang Sung-Woo C 23 - Jung-hoon IF 25 - Oh Jang-hoon IF 27 - Kim Myung-sung P 28 - Jang Won-Jun P 29 - Ha Joon-ho P 31 - Son Ah-Seop OF 34 - Lee Yong-hoon P 35 - Lee Myung-woo P 36 - Park Jong-Yoon IF 37 - Hwang Sung-woong P 38 - Kim Geun-ho P 39 - Lee Wang-gi P 41 - Bryan Corey P 43 - Kim Il-Yeop P 45 - Bae Jang-Ho P 46 - Hong Jae-young P 47 - Kang Min-Ho C 48 - Jin Myung-ho P 49 - Hong Sung-Heon LF 50 - Lee Hyun-joon P 52 - Lee Jae-Gon P 53 - Kim Soo-Wan P 55 - Kim Sa-yool P 56 - Hur Joon-hyuk P 58 - Oh Seung-taek IF 61 - Son Min-Han P 66 - Hur Il IF 67 - Baek Sae-woong IF 94 - Ryan Sadowski P 97 - Shane Youman P Manager 80 Yang Seung-Ho |
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Inside the Giants by Ryan Sadowski
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