Shock Double A Train Ko Woo-seok it's a great opportunity to draw a three-year painting

Some predicted that Ko would put off his challenge to the Major League for another year, but he decided to go straight. He started posting in the face of LG's difficulties. LG also offered conditional approval. As such, Ko has been troubled by fans' lack of news of his Major League contract for a while. Many clubs saw Ko's performance for a long time, but his poor performance last year was a drag.

At the last minute, San Diego appeared. With the posting deadline just around the corner, Ko signed a two-year guarantee of 4.5 million U.S. dollars and a three-year maximum of 9.4 million dollars with the San Diego Padres, dramatically making it to the Major League. Ko could have received 9.4 million dollars only after winning all of the one-year club options, the number of games played and the incentive to wrap up the game, but her success in making it to the Major League itself was cause for concern. It was a dramatic buzzer-beater.

However, the road was still rough afterwards. It was too late to get a visa. As the visa was delayed more than Ko had expected, naturally she had to go to the U.S. to adjust to the U.S. as soon as possible and improve her condition. However, her visa has not been issued yet, and there has been no answer. Lee Jung-hoo, who said visa issuance was delayed, left Korea on Feb. 1, while Ko was not able to leave the country until Feb. 9.

There was bad luck, too. San Diego started its spring training earlier than other teams. It was to participate in the "2024 Major League World Tour Seoul Series" held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on March 20 and 21. The spring training opened five days earlier than other teams, and naturally, Ko lacked time to prepare. He had to throw a ball before the pain of flying long distances was relieved, and the team put off his first appearance in an exhibition game to take consideration of Ko, but his ball power hardly increased.

Ko, who already has a lot to adapt to, was sluggish in exhibition games. He pitched in six exhibition games, but was sluggish with an ERA of 12.60 after giving up 11 hits and three walks in five innings. His batting average reached 0.393, and WHIP was just 2.80. The San Diego Padres did not give up such faith in Ko until the end. He made the squad of 31 players to participate in the Seoul Series and waited for Ko's final rebound. However, he was also sluggish in practice games with LG by allowing two runs in an inning, and was excluded from the 26-man roster the next day.

Ko couldn't hide his disappointment but accepted the club's decision. "The coach told me to prepare well," Ko said. "I didn't challenge myself unexpectedly, and I'm sad to say that I have to prepare well again and do well." San Diego manager Mike Shildt also stressed that Ko is a resource that will help his team. He said he can join the Major League whenever his condition is normal.

Then, Ko was assigned to San Antonio, a Double-A team under his team, on Tuesday. When Ko was excluded from the 26-man roster of the Seoul Series, he moved to Triple-A team El Paso, and the adjustment was made on the same day. It was expected to some extent. Since the time of the Seoul Series, there has been such talk in the local media. It is not a bad thing to feel bad about going to Double-A, not Triple-A. All of these are his consideration and strategy.

In any case, what Ko needs right now is not a minor league performance. He did not bring the pitcher to use in the minor league. The first priority is to raise the ball power normally. If so, Double A could be a more comfortable stage than Triple A. He is expected to slowly raise the ball power under the management of Double A teams and wait for the Major League teams to call up when they are ready.

Double A also has many promising players, so it is not an easy stage to perform. Still, there are many less experienced batters than Triple A, and it is the best stage for Go to spar. Also, the fact that Double A was later than Triple A may have contributed to the opening of the season. Triple A season has already begun, but Double A starts on weekends. Rather than feeling pressure from the game, Go is more suitable to manage his condition through continued bullpen pitching and adjustment.

San Diego's bullpen session is not a big deal. Just as Ko longs for the Major League, San Diego desperately needs Ko to be normalized. As of Thursday, San Diego ranks 26th among the 30 teams with a 6.00 ERA this season. The same applies to bullpen sessions. With a 6.88 ERA, the team ranks 26th in the Major League. Overall, the team is on shaky ground. We need Ko, who San Diego had been expecting.

With Yuki Matsui doing well with a 2.25 ERA in five games, the rest of the bullpen pitcher's performance has been deteriorating since the beginning of the season. Tom Cosgrove has an 18.90 ERA in five games, Jonny Brito has a 13.50 ERA in four games, and Steve Colek has a 7.71 ERA in four games. In fact, the lineup of pitchers Matsui, Robert Suarez, and Wandy Peralta is not very solid. We need reinforcements. As long as he is in good condition, he is a roster that can be penetrated. Otherwise, San Diego would not have had reason to sign a contract with Ko.

Meanwhile, another name familiar to fans of the KBO League was also assigned to San Antonio on the day. He is Zack Rex, 31, who joined the Lotte Giants as a substitute for the 2022 season and played until the middle of last year. Rex also joined the Double-A team along with Ko on the day. Rex made his Major League debut in 2021 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, played in six games, and played in 16 games with the Texas Rangers in 2022. He posted a batting average of 0.205 in 22 games overall in the Major League.

Rex signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres ahead of the end of this season, and unexpectedly, he will be assigned to Double-A rather than Triple-A to start the season. Considering that Rex is not at the level where he can go to Double-A in his overall career, one can assume that he is in a similar situation to Ko. Attention is focusing on how the two players will be able to stage in the Major League.

BY: 스포츠토토핫