Moon Seung-won, who was in charge of the back door of SSG Landers last year, will compete for the starting lineup again.안전놀이터
"I will consult with coach Lee Sung-yong, but I am currently considering (Moon) Seung-won as the fourth starter," SSG general manager Kim Jae-hyun said in a recent telephone interview with Expo News. The five candidates include (Song) Young-jin and (Park) Jong-hoon, and (Jeong) Dong-yoon from the second division. We will compete and meet before the opening of the game."
Last year, SSG ranked at the bottom of the ERA (5.26). Kim Kwang-hyun (162 ⅓ innings) was the only player in the team that met the required innings. Foreign players failed to meet expectations due to injury and sluggish performance, and Korean players also failed to fulfill their duty. This is why SSG has brought up the starting Moon Seung-won card again.
Moon Seung-won, who joined the SK Wyverns (current SSG) as the eighth-ranked player in the first round in 2012, recorded 49 wins, 53 losses, 21 saves, 25 saves, and an ERA of 4.50 in 925 ⅔ innings in 293 games in the first division. He pitched more than 150 innings for two consecutive years between 2017 and 2018, and achieved his first double-digit multiplier (11 wins) in 2019.
It was in 2021 that Moon faced a big ordeal. Moon, who was playing in rotation at the beginning of the season, was removed from the first team entry in early June. The reason was elbow pain. In the end, Moon ended the season early as he underwent Tommy John surgery.
After signing a five-year, multi-year non-FA contract with SSG for a total of 5.5 billion won after the end of the 2021 season, Moon returned to the mound in July 2022. However, his performance was below expectations. Moon has been sluggish in 23 games and 24 ⅔ innings in 2022 with 1 win, 1 loss and 3 saves, and 105 innings with 5 wins, 8 losses, 1 save, and an ERA of 5.23 in 50 games in 2023.
SSG agonized over Moon's position in the process of planning the mound last season, and decided to use him as a bullpen pitcher. "I will consult with the player more and think about how to help the team and how to save myself," said SSG coach Lee Sung-yong, who met with reporters ahead of his departure from the spring camp in January last year.
On top of that, SSG picked Seo as its closing pitcher as Seo Jin-yong underwent surgery to remove bone fragments in his right elbow after the end of the 2023 season. Moon's shoulders have become heavier than ever.
Moon started the season smoothly with two wins, seven saves and an earned run average of 2.92 in 12 ⅓ innings through April. He also played in 10 games, 12 ⅔ innings with one loss, eight saves and an earned run average of 2.13.
However, he was shaken by nine games and six innings and two saves in September. He seemed to be stabilizing himself with two wins and two saves in nine games and eight ⅔ innings in July, and one win and three holds and one saves in 13 ⅓ innings in August, but he has been sluggish with seven innings and seven wins and three holds and an earned run average of 7.71 since September. Moon's final record for the season was 6-1, 6 holds and 6 holds and 20 saves in 60 innings and an earned run average of 4.50. He was not satisfied with his first 20 saves since his debut.
Leaving his disappointment behind, Moon is set to make a comeback in the new year. SSG, which finished the last season in sixth place, was forced to think that its starting lineup has lost weight. Oh Won-seok (KT Wiz), who also received many opportunities to start, transferred to the trade in October last year, and his team's strength changed. SSG expects Moon, who has a lot of experience in starting, to play many innings.
SSG's best scenario is that four starting pitchers – Drew Anderson, Mitch Anderson, Kim Kwang-hyun, and Moon – stay in the rotation throughout the season without injury. Individual and team performances can improve. Of course, Moon must compete just like other pitchers. Attention is focusing on whether Moon will live up to his team's expectations.