LG foreign pitcher Adam Plutko (32) made his debut in the KBO League last year and had an impressive first season. He played 28 games and won 15, much to the dismay of his predecessor, Andrew Suarez.
Plutko threw 162 innings in 28 games for the season and achieved the league’s best record of 15 wins, 5 losses and an average ERA of 2.39. He wasn’t just good at grades. There were some problems at the beginning of the season, but after the middle of the season, he corrected the problems and went on a winning streak. What he says is that when you look at a season broadly, he continues to improve. After a period of rain, the ground becomes firmer. He has슬롯사이트 high expectations that he can go even harder this year.
On the 6th (Korean time), Plutko, who reached an agreement with LG, had his first bullpen pitching in Scottsdale, Arizona, where LG’s spring camp was being held. In front of coach Yeom Kyung-yeop and other related coaching staff, he threw 36 pitches. He was a bullpen pitcher that focused on checking breaking balls rather than fastballs such as changeups, curveballs, cut fastballs, and sliders. Overall, there were favorable comments that his physical condition was good. Plutko also emphasized, “The overall feeling was good. I’m ready.”
These are numbers that are not easy to improve since last year’s results were already so good. However, it seems that LG has confirmed the clear possibility that Plutco can develop one step further in the bullpen pitching on the 6th. It’s a changeup. He came to camp with a much better feel for his changeup.
Until last year, Plutko’s changeup wasn’t a pitch he used very often. According to the tally of Statties, a website specializing in statistics, Plutko’s most used breaking balls last year were sliders (24.4%) and curveballs (17.6%). The changeup was a small percentage at 6.8%, and the pitch value was not that high, so it was a difficult ball to pull out in a crisis.
However, Plutko, who polished his changeup, received favorable reviews from the LG coaching staff that day. LG coach Yeom Kyung-yeop smiled, saying, “Plutko’s changeup has improved a lot. I think it will be a good weapon.” It has a good slider and curve, so it is expected that the power can be doubled if the changeup is properly mixed regardless of left and right batters.
Plutco already had a lot of fun modifying the rotation axis of the slider last year, which had a great influence on Plutco’s great run in the second half. By making the slider bend a little more horizontally, it was differentiated from the curve, and this confused the heads of hitters. If you can throw a changeup here, it becomes more difficult for a batter to deal with. If you can use it at a decisive moment without greatly increasing the weight, it is a great success in itself.
One of the biggest issues in LG’s Arizona camp is the stabilization of the 3rd to 5th selections that domestic players will achieve. Several players, including Kim Yun-sik and Lee Min-ho, are on the list, but it is true that there are still a lack of proven full-time players who have their own. So until these players get back on track, foreign one-two punchers Plutko and Casey Kelly need to keep the center of gravity just as they did last year. This is why Plutco’s successful launch in 2023 made LG happy.