Kiwoom’s fastball ace candidate, Hurado, started the game with a good pitch.
Hurado participated in a practice game with the Dutch WBC national team on the 28th, throwing a fast ball of up to 150km and pitching with no goals in one inning.
In particular, the combination of a similar but different cut fastball and slider shined.
Furado is a pitcher who is attracting attention for his one-two punch along with Yokishi, a proven first starter.
Kiwoom signed a contract with Hurado on November 25 last year for a total of $1 million, including an annual salary of $850,000 and an option of $150,000.
Born in Panama in 1996, Hurado first experienced the major league stage in the 2018 season after joining the major league Texas Rangers through an international prospect contract in December 2012.
During the 2019 season, he pitched in 32 games in the major leagues, both as a starter and out of the bullpen. After that, he played for the New York Mets, Dominican Winter League, and Minnesota Twins minor league teams.
Hurado appeared in 45 games of his major league career, going 12-16 with a 5.97 earned run average. In the minor leagues, he pitched in 131 career games, posting a record of 47 wins, 24 losses, 1 save, and an earned run average of 3.39.
In 2019, he pitched in 32 games (18 starts) as a member of the Texas Rangers in the major leagues, winning 7 wins (11 losses), including a complete game as a swingman who went back and forth between selection and salvation.
He is 188 cm tall and weighs 105 kg, and is a fireballer who uses a fastball with a maximum speed of 155 km/h, as well as various breaking balls such as slider, curve, and changeup. His main weapon is a sinking fastball that can reach around 150km. He is the type of pitcher who can throw a modified fastball like this and induce a lot of grounders as well.
He is a very different style from the foreign pitchers that Kiwoom has selected in the past. In the meantime, there have been many cases where Kiwoom has brought in foreign pitchers who have good control even if the speed is not fast, have a unique pitching form, or have strengths such as release points or deceptions.
After that, it is true that he preferred the so-called ‘training foreign pitcher’ to adapt the foreign pitchers to the Korean style.
However, Hurado is of a slightly different type. According to Kiwoom, Hurado not only throws fast-paced balls, but is also evaluated for having a stable pitching form and excellent control. He especially has the ability to throw the ball where he wants, with a walks-per-nine innings ratio of 1.8 in the minor leagues and 2.7 in the majors.
On the 28th (Korean time), the Kiwoom Heroes won 8-2 in a practice match against the Dutch WBC team held at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.
Kim Tae-jin (2nd baseman) – Lim Ji-yeol (1st baseman) – Lim Byung-wook (left fielder) – Addison Russell (shortstop) Park Ju-hong (right fielder) – Kim Hui-jib (3rd baseman) – Song Jae-sun (center fielder) – Kim Jae-hyeon (catcher) – Kim Dong-heon (designated hitter) ) lineup.
Starting with Jang Jae-young, Ariel Hurado, Won Jong-hyun, Kim Seon-ki, Byun Si-won, Lee Myeong-jong, and Kim Dong-hyuk took the mound in turn. We played against the Dutch lineup, which featured players familiar to us, such as Didi Gregorius, Vladimir Valentin, and Roger Bernardina.
Starting pitcher Jang Jae-young showed pitching with one strikeout and no run in one inning. He finished the inning neatly with just 7 balls, with a fast ball reaching a maximum speed of 153 km.
Even after coming out, he also threw a 150km fastball, slider, cutter, changeup, etc., and was responsible for one inning with no runs.
Hurado said, “In addition to the fast ball, I threw various breaking balls and checked the type of pitch. He also paid attention to attacking opponents with the mindset of participating in regular season games as much as possible. During the camp, he prepared hard, and I am happy that good results are coming out.”
In particular, the combination of a cut fastball and a slider with the same angle but different sizes was very impressive.안전놀이터
A pitch that can lead a cut fastball into the strike zone and then break short to induce a ground ball. A slider is a ball that has a larger break and can cause misses.
Hurado used both of these balls freely and showed the ability to induce a ground ball when a ground ball was needed and a swing when a swing was needed.
Kiwoom’s newly recruited ace candidate got off to a good start with a full $1 million. It remains to be seen if he can do his part until the regular season.