I have to say, I don't know much about this guy, but there seems to be a good bit of optimism that he'll earn a rotation spot and pitch well. Here's his peer group from Mock One:
13.14 Trevor Cahill; 16.03 Trevor Bauer 13.15 Hyun-Jin Ryu; 14.05 Josh Beckett; 14.06 Shelby Miller; 14.12 Jhoulys Chacin; 14.17 Wade Miley; 14.19 Jason Hammel; 15.01 A.J. Burnett; 15.03 Brandon McCarthy; 15.05 Wandy Rodriguez; 15.06 Tim Hudson; 15.07 A.J. Griffin;
Here's an article about him from the LA Times:
Here's the scouting report on him (http://www.scoutingbook.com/players/p3214):
It's a lazy comp, but Wei-Yin Chen put up 192ip, 12-11, 4.02 ERA, 7.2 K/9, 1.26 WHIP for the Orioles last year. Is that a reasonable baseline for Ryu? Maybe not quite as talented as Chen but in an easier environment?
The Dodgers paid $25mil for his rights and then signed him to a 6-year, 36mil deal, so you expect they'll give him a long look for the rotation. Then again, what's money to them? They have Kershaw/Greinke as their 1-2, then Beckett, Ryu, Harang, Capuano and Lilly for the last 2 spots.
13.14 Trevor Cahill; 16.03 Trevor Bauer 13.15 Hyun-Jin Ryu; 14.05 Josh Beckett; 14.06 Shelby Miller; 14.12 Jhoulys Chacin; 14.17 Wade Miley; 14.19 Jason Hammel; 15.01 A.J. Burnett; 15.03 Brandon McCarthy; 15.05 Wandy Rodriguez; 15.06 Tim Hudson; 15.07 A.J. Griffin;
Here's an article about him from the LA Times:
A.J. Ellis caught Ryu's first bullpen session of the spring and noticed he was unusually calm.
"He wasn't trying to make a big first impression," Ellis said. "He wasn't overthrowing like a lot of guys do in their first side session."
Ryu seems to be approaching his first game similarly. He is scheduled to pitch Sunday against the Chicago White Sox, but he said he wasn't nervous.
"Not at all," he said. "I'm scheduled to pitch one inning. I don't care if I get hit hard. I'm more concerned about my command."
He also doesn't appear to be bothered by questions about his weight, which is listed at 215 pounds by the Dodgers.
"There's two different shapes," he said with a shrug. "One to be fit and one to throw a baseball."
"He wasn't trying to make a big first impression," Ellis said. "He wasn't overthrowing like a lot of guys do in their first side session."
Ryu seems to be approaching his first game similarly. He is scheduled to pitch Sunday against the Chicago White Sox, but he said he wasn't nervous.
"Not at all," he said. "I'm scheduled to pitch one inning. I don't care if I get hit hard. I'm more concerned about my command."
He also doesn't appear to be bothered by questions about his weight, which is listed at 215 pounds by the Dodgers.
"There's two different shapes," he said with a shrug. "One to be fit and one to throw a baseball."
A wide, solid pitcher, Hyun-Jin surprisingly lacks overpowering stuff, but can show masterful command and control of both a low-90's fastball and a plus change, a combination that is usually all one needs to succeed in MLB. If it's not, he also shows a workable curve and slider, though not very often.
The Dodgers paid $25mil for his rights and then signed him to a 6-year, 36mil deal, so you expect they'll give him a long look for the rotation. Then again, what's money to them? They have Kershaw/Greinke as their 1-2, then Beckett, Ryu, Harang, Capuano and Lilly for the last 2 spots.
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