“They asked who was a good foreign player.”
Hanwha general manager Sohn Hyuk was surprised recently. This is because Smith and Pena asked at a meal with foreign players Butch Smith, Felix Pena, and Brian O’Grady. General manager Sohn Hyuk was deeply pleased when he ranked respect and adaptability to the KBO league as the number one priority.
In particular, Smith, who was marked as an ace this season, is unusual. Smith is tall at 193cm and has an excellent fastball and curve combination with high RBIs in the early to mid-150km range. He mixes two-seam, slider, and changeup, but 온라인바카라general manager Sohn explains that his main weapon is a curveball.
On the 11th (hereinafter Korean time), Smith pitched his second bullpen pitch at Mesa Bellbank Park, Arizona, USA. He was actually pitching formally from the bullpen, not from the bullpen. He threw a total of 26 pitches, mixing in a fastball, two-seam, curve-slider, and changeup. His best speed is 150km.
General manager Sohn believed that the high-fastball and curve combination would be enough to serve as the first starter. “In the end, hitters will think that they shouldn’t be fooled by highballs and step into the plate, but it won’t be easy not to hit,” he said. This is because when the ball comes in close to the sight, the hand instinctively goes out. Here, the falling curve can maximize the power of the high fastball. Since the curve itself also falls powerfully, it may not be easy for a hitter to fight the timing.
Smith said, “It is up to the team to decide whether or not to make the first pick. When I get on the mound, I will do my best. I will focus on team victory and go to fall baseball.” He said, “I am satisfied with pitching in the bullpen. I’m not used to the slider, so I’m practicing.”
In fact, Smith has been plagued with injuries throughout his career. He did the same for the 2022 season and also for the Seibu Lions of Japan Professional Baseball. At the beginning of the season, his shoulder was a bit bad, and it was not an environment to show good condition from the beginning of the season due to the Japanese government’s suspension of entry for foreigners. So Seibu explained that there was an aspect that Seibu used as a bullpen for convenience.
Smith said, “In Japan, they expected me to be a bullpen rather than a starter. Having the opportunity to be selected in Korea gives me pride and I feel good. I will do my best if I have a chance to be selected. If you’re going to turn on the 4th, you have your own routine. It is a process of preparing for the selection, and you can focus on the routine. I have a lot of expectations as I have a chance as a starting pitcher again.”
Then Smith showed off his enormous thighs. He was about the size of the waist of a fairly grown man. Smith said, “I was skinny in high school. He went to college and his body got bigger and he focused on baseball. His thighs are hereditary rather than exercised. His grandfather was an American football player who was good enough to go to the NFL. “Anyway, a strong leg core helps with fastball velocity.”
He even received an offer of 1.5 million dollars from Japan, but chose to go to Korea. He even expressed his desire for success by asking his general manager the conditions for success in the KBO League. “Health is an important factor,” said Smith. Hanwha has not been able to contribute to the team due to the poor health of foreign players in recent years. Foreign players need to stay healthy this season. There are parts that I can’t control, but I will try my best.”