Hanwha’s new foreign pitcher Birch Smith (32) played mostly as a bullpen pitcher in the Japanese professional baseball last year.
He played in 20 games, 4 of which were starts.
He spent most of his time in the bullpen. Although he pitched seven scoreless innings in his debut, he was given more chances with the bullpen than with the start.
But Smith had a strong will to be selected.
The reason why the contract with Seibu was canceled was not because of poor skills, but because he wanted to be selected.
The Seibu club had to explain the circumstances to the Japanese media after Smith’s withdrawal was decided. It was a decision that did not make much sense.
If you look at the press articles at the time, you can see that there was a disagreement between Seibu and Smith.
Japanese media outlets, including Tokyo Sports, questioned the reason when Seibu announced that it would not renew the contract with Smith.
General Manager Watanabe Seibu said this after admitting that “(until recently) we were negotiating renewal contracts”.
“It’s not about money, it’s about technique. Smith wanted to be selected from the moment he came to Japan. However, that was something that could not be promised. That kind of talk came up again and (Smith’s side) said they wanted to ask for it. We were evaluating Smith as a pitcher who would fit better in the bullpen. Of course, it is true that the ransom value was also evaluated according to the bullpen. However, negotiations did not break down because of money. He just wasn’t evaluated as a starter. It looks like you want to wait (for an offer) in the US.”
In conclusion, it can be seen that the difference of opinion on the position led to the failure to renew the contract.
Hanwha general manager Son Hyuk said, “Smith is a fireballer-type starting resource, and he is a pitcher who can be entrusted with the first starting role. He has experience in Asian baseball, so it is expected that it will be easy for him to adapt to the KBO league.”
He continued, “I recruited Smith because I needed a first-class player who could overwhelm opponent hitters. Smith is excellent at striking out with a style of intimidating batters with pitches. We expect that Smith’s strengths will be of great help to the defense,” he added.
This means that the bullpen pitcher, who only won one game in Japanese professional baseball, is expected to take on the heavy task of being the first starter.
It’s a very possible scenario.
Although he does not have much starting experience and has a history of injuries, he has proven this season that he can be responsible for a full season as a starter as long as he is not sick.
Smith is a pitcher who can command a powerful fastball with a fastball hit rate of only 0.181. As he is a player who can throw a powerful ball, he is expected to be able to digest long innings even as a starter. 스포츠토토
His will is strong enough that he wanted to be selected himself. It can be said that he has the power to fill the parts that Hanwha wants.
As much as he wanted to pitch responsibly, you can expect him to do his part as an ace. He is expected even more because he is a player with good skills.
Seibu wanted to accompany Smith to the end. However, Smith wanted a more important role, and the line reached the point where Hanhwa wanted.
It remains to be seen whether Smith, who strongly wanted the selection, and Hanwha, who desperately needed the first selection, will be able to show explosive power.