On the 18th (based on Korean time), the Miami Marlins abruptly released Korean pitcher Ko Woo-seok (27). The sudden release was surprising as he had performed well after being promoted to Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, achieving a 1.59 earned run average in 5 games (5⅔ innings, 5 strikeouts, 1 earned run).
Despite Ko Woo-seok's departure, there is another Korean pitcher in the Miami minors. Right-handed fastball pitcher Shim Jun-seok (21) is gaining experience in the minor leagues this year with the rookie team FCL Marlins after going directly to the United States after graduating from high school.
However, on the 19th, he had his worst pitching performance against the FCL Mets (affiliated with the New York Mets). He took the mound as the team's second pitcher in the fifth inning with the game tied at 3-3 but failed to record an out, showing severe control issues with 5 walks.
Shim Jun-seok allowed the leadoff batter Bohán Adderley to reach first base on a hit by a pitch and conceded a stolen base to second. He then hit Edward Lantigua with another pitch, putting runners on base, and allowed a double steal, leading to a crisis with no outs and runners on second and third.
Shim Jun-seok further compounded the situation by walking Julio Jayas, loading the bases with no outs, and he allowed a bases-loaded walk to Randy Guzmán. The next batter Jeffrey Rosa was hit by a pitch again, resulting in another bases-loaded run.
With 5 consecutive walks, his control severely deteriorated, and he could no longer remain on the mound. Wilfredo Henriquez took the mound in his place and ended the inning without allowing further runs by leading to a double play on a ground ball to third base and a line drive to shortstop. As a result, Shim Jun-seok finished with 2 earned runs despite the 5 walks.
Up until that day, Shim Jun-seok had recorded 2 losses and 1 save with a 9.53 earned run average in 7 games this season in the rookie league. He allowed only 3 hits over 5⅔ innings. Although his batting average against him is good at .167, he allowed a whopping 13 walks and hit 3 batters while striking out 6, resulting in 15.9 walks per 9 innings.
He started his season with a scoreless save in 1 inning against the FCL Cardinals on the 10th of last month but collapsed with 4 earned runs over ⅔ inning by giving up 3 walks against the FCL Astros on the 17th. After that, he stabilized with 1 earned run (unearned) over 4 innings in 4 games but exhibited struggles again in the game on the 19th.
Shim Jun-seok, who announced his monster debut by throwing a top speed of 153 km/h in his first year at Deoksu High School, was often unable to play in real matches due to elbow, back, and toe injuries in his second and third years. However, in his third year, he raised his top speed to 157 km/h and attracted the attention of Major League scouts.
Instead of going through the KBO League rookie draft, Shim Jun-seok chose to go directly to the United States and signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates for a $750,000 signing bonus in January 2023. This is his third year in the U.S., but he has not shown significant growth. He started the year in the rookie league with 4 games (8 innings), a 3.38 earned run average, and 13 strikeouts, but was plagued by injuries. He had right chest pain from the first year, and last year a shoulder injury became prolonged.
Ultimately, on July 31 of last year, Pittsburgh sent Shim Jun-seok to Miami when they acquired outfielder Bryan De La Cruz. Even after the trade, he could not recover from his shoulder injury, and his season ended with rehabilitation. After the season, Shim Jun-seok made a return to the field through the Arizona Fall League but struggled with a 19.80 earned run average over 6 games (5 innings). Although it was attributed to a long-term injury, he continues to face challenges this year with his control issues.
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