“I think you need to change your pitching design in the second half.”
LG Twins manager Yoon Kyung-yeop has some advice for “Jamsil Jesus” Casey Kelly.
Kelly, who has worn the LG uniform since the 2019 season, is a right-hander with a 58-31 record and a 2.89 ERA in 114 games (697 innings) in the KBO until last year. He has two fastballs, a four-seam and a cutter, and a variety of other pitches, including a curveball, slider, and changeup, which helped him win 16 games last year.
However, Kelly has struggled this year. As of April 14, his record was 6-5 with a 4.44 ERA in 18 games (107.1 innings pitched), which led to speculation that he would be replaced by a foreign pitcher in the middle of the first half.
Luckily, Kelly rebounded in his last start of the first half on April 12 against the Jamsil Hanwha Eagles, throwing seven innings of five-hit ball with two strikeouts and two walks while fanning 86 batters. Unfortunately, the game ended in a 1-2 loss for LG, but it was a sign of things to come in the second half.
On the 13th, after the game against Jamsil Hanwha was canceled due to rain, manager Yeom Kyung-yup said, “I’m looking forward to the second half. Today, I’m also waiting for a tee time because I requested it.” “My thoughts are different. Originally, I wanted to (request a meeting), but she came first, so I pulled out all of her data.”
“I think (Kelly) needs to change his pitching design a little bit in the second half of the season,” Yoon said, adding that his pitching design and pitching pattern were different in the first inning (against Hanwha on Dec. 12) when he was hit for two runs and in the third inning (when he started pitching well).
Historically, Kelly has used his changeup to dominate hitters, but this year, it’s been the other way around. His batting average against changeups is currently at .349. Against Hanwha on Wednesday, Kelly gave up two runs in the first inning when he was hit by a changeup with runners on first and second. It was the final run of the day.
Manager Yoon Kyung-yeop said, “We have to decide how to use each pitch and which pitch to use in each count. We need to understand why we don’t get swings and misses after two strikes and why our batting average is high.”
“At the end of the day, the changeup is (Kelly’s) deciding pitch, and the changeup has the highest BABIP after two strikes. “That’s exactly what we’re going to tell her through the data,” he said, “how to change her pitching design, how to change her changeup. We’re going to tell him exactly what the data is telling us and how he needs to change his pitching design and how he needs to use his changeup to be effective.”토스카지노
LG desperately needs Kelly to rebound. With a starting rotation that includes Kelly, Adam Plutko, and Chan-kyu Lim, LG has clear weaknesses in its four and five starters. If Kelly can show some ace-like form, it will give the starting lineup more weight.
Will Kelly be able to take his commander’s advice and return to the ‘Jamsil Jesus’ we know in the second half of the season, which is a must for LG as they aim to win the grand prix this year?