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The Crisis Environment for the 'Resignation Jesus': Is It Real, and What to Do If It Is?
The Crisis Environment for the 'Resignation Jesus': Is It Real, and What to Do If It Is?
Aaron Wilkerson (35‧Lotte), who joined Lotte as a substitute foreign player last year, was re-signed after posting a 7-2 record with a 2.26 ERA in 13 games. He wasn't the fastest fireballer in the game, but he was reliable and had more than just velocity. His performance was too good not to re-sign. New manager Kim Tae-hyung gave the nod.
Wilkerson was selected as the opening day starter early this year and prepared for the season. He was optimistic that his high zone pitches would be a good fit for the KBO's new automatic ball-and-strike system (ABS), which was introduced ahead of the season. However, his performance in the exhibition games was not so good. In two games, he went 2-2 with a 9.00 ERA in eight innings pitched.
Heading into the season opener against SSG at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Sept. 23, Lotte head coach Kim Tae-hyung was hopeful that Wilkerson would rebound. His final performance in the exhibition game wasn't very good, but Kim explained that foreign players tend to experiment with things in exhibition games. But Wilkerson's first start of the season didn't go so well. We know he lost, but there's more to it than that.
Wilkerson started against SSG in Incheon on March 23 and threw 85 pitches in five innings, allowing four runs on six hits (two home runs) and four walks with eight strikeouts. His fastball reached 147 kilometers per hour, and his repertoire was exactly what it should have been. Of course, you can't read too much into one game, and you have to consider that he gave up four runs and struck out eight. But the two home runs are worth considering.
All four of Wilkerson's runs on the day came via home runs. In the first inning, he gave up a two-run shot to Han Yoo-seom, and in the third inning, he gave up a two-run shot to Choi Jung. Without either of them, the game might have been a little better. But this year, Wilkerson and all pitchers should expect to see an increase in home runs. Fastballs are better.
Players from SSG and Lotte, who have already experienced this year's ball in exhibition games, agreed that "the bounce of the ball seems to be a little better than last year" ahead of the 23rd game. Pitchers and batters alike felt that way.
It wasn't until 2019 that we really saw the effects of balls. After a huge home run party in 2017 and 2018, the league tinkered with the ball, and home runs plummeted across the league in 2019. It was a simple ball change that had a huge impact, but there's an argument to be made that the 2023 ball is just as bad. They didn't fly as well as they did in 2019.
Shin-soo Choo, who has experience with Major League Baseball, said, "Even if it doesn't fly, it doesn't fly too much." Choi Jung-jeong said, "It was the same in 2019, but last year, the ball didn't fly too much. This year, it feels like it flies a little more. Still, it's not as rebounding as a major league ball." Choi Ji-hoon said, "I feel like the ball is flying more than last year when I'm defending." In the opening five games of the regular season on March 23, home runs were hit in all four ballparks except Jamsil, totaling eight in all. That was even with the opening day aces and energized pitching staffs.
We'll have to wait and see. The ball samples don't show a huge difference from last year. We still need to accumulate samples for at least a month. However, if the balls are flying more, Wilkerson, a typical fly ball pitcher, may have to find a new way. Wilkerson has been a fly ball pitcher throughout his career. Even last year, he had 87 fly balls and 65 ground balls. The fact that Sajik is a pretty big ballpark when it comes to fences might offset this, but it's something to think about. An increase in home runs allowed by a fly ball pitcher can be devastating.