Ham Deok-ju (28), who was a key bullpen in the 2023 season and even received a Major League Baseball (MLB) status check, will remain with the LG Twins. The LG Twins officially announced on the 24th that they signed a four-year contract with free agent Ham Deok-ju for a total of 3.8 billion won (600 million won in down payment, 1.4 billion won in annual salary, and 1.8 billion won in incentives).
Ham joined the Doosan Bears through the 2013 draft and was traded to the LG Twins in 2021. In the 2023 season, he pitched in 57 games, recording an ERA of 1.62 in 55 ⅔ with 4 wins and 4 saves and 16 holds, and was a reliable left-handed bullpen pitcher for the team. In addition, he took the mound in four games and contributed to LG’s first win in 29 years with a record of one win and an ERA of 2.70 in three ⅓ innings.
After finishing the contract, Ham said through the club, “I feel lighthearted because I was able to finish the contract before the end of the year. The team showed the best performance this season. I’m also happy that I was able to help the team a little bit by throwing without injury. I felt happy that I was able to throw healthy once again. I will do my best to help the team continue to be a strong team by not getting sick.”
“Ham is a pitcher with many experiences including his national team career. In the 2023 season, he regained his health and showed the best performance. He also played his part in the team’s winning team. I expect him to continue to throw healthily on the mound for the team,” LG said.
As a result, LG has completed all contracts with three of the four FA players this year. On the morning of the 20th, LG signed a four-year FA contract with pitcher Lim Chan-kyu for a total of 5 billion won (600 million won in down payment, 2 billion won in annual salary, and 2.4 billion won in incentives). In the afternoon, he signed a FA contract with Oh Ji-hwan for a total of 12.4 billion won (5 billion won in down payment, 5 billion won in annual salary, and 2.4 billion won in incentives) for six years during the contract period on the 19th. Earlier, Cha Myung-seok, the general manager of LG, said on his last club YouTube Live, “I want to finish the contract before Christmas, so I don’t think it’s easy to finish it by Christmas,” but all three of them finished the contract with three of them. And now only one Kim Min-sung is left.
After graduating from Ilsan Elementary, Wonju Middle, and Wonju High School, Ham Deok-ju was ranked 43rd overall in the fifth round in the 2013 rookie draft. In the 2013 season, his first year as a player, Ham played 31 games in the following year, marking one win, two losses, and an ERA of 4.44, showing his potential. Then, he started to make his name known in earnest in the 2015 season. As soon as then Doosan Bears coach Kim Tae-hyung took the helm, Ham was under heavy pressure. While pitching in 68 games, he received a good report card with seven wins, two losses, two saves and a ERA of 3.65.
Was it due to the aftermath of the sudden large number of pitches? Ham had a hard time avoiding a slump in the 2016 season. He pitched in 15 games and recorded an earned run average of 6.23 without losing or losing any games. As a starter, Ham once again started the 2017 season. He made 24 starts out of 35 games and proved his true value with 9 wins, 7 losses, 2 holds and an earned run average of 3.67. Compared to the previous season (eight ⅔), he pitched 137 ⅓, a career-high innings. At the end of the season, he played an excellent role as a closing pitcher, playing a key role in building the dynasty of his team back then.
In the 2018 season, Ham returned to the bullpen. In 62 games, he recorded six wins, three losses, 27 saves, and three holds during 67 innings. At the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games in the same year, he played for the national team and contributed to Korean baseball’s gold medal. In the 2019 season, he had a steady record of five wins, five losses, 16 saves, seven holds during 54 ⅔ in 61 games, and an ERA of 3.90 during 55 ⅓ in 36 games in the 2020 season.
It was in March ahead of the 2021 season that a big change came for Ham. Back then, LG sent infielder Yang Seok-hwan and pitcher Namho to Doosan in a 2:2 trade instead of receiving Ham Deok-ju and right-handed pitcher Chae Ji-seon from the Doosan Bears. At the time, LG immediately recruited two powerful pitchers and expressed satisfaction, saying, “We realized the strengthening of pitching capability.” However, Ham did not play in many games due to injury in the 2021 season. After playing in 16 games, he finished the season with 1-2 hold and an ERA of 4.29. After suffering from an elbow injury during the season, Ham eventually underwent surgery to remove bone fragments from his elbow at the end of the season. After undergoing surgery to remove bone fragments from his elbow at the end of the 2021 season, Ham also devoted himself to rehabilitation last year.
Ham focused on rehabilitation by pitching only 12 ⅔ (13 games) in the 2022 season. Finally, he had another great year in the 2023 season. He has revived to perfection and instilled great faith in LG coaching spaff and fans. He had a remarkable record of 4 wins, 4 saves and 16 holds with an ERA of 1.62 during the 2023 season. Above all, Lee Jung-yong, Jung Woo-young and Ko Woo-seok, who had already been LG’s winning team, were shaken by injuries and sluggishness, and as Plan B, they properly balanced the bullpen. At the end of the season, he left the team due to elbow injury, but made the Korean Series entry, sharing the honor of winning the title. It was Ham, who personally won the Korean Series for the fourth time following 2015, 2016 and 2019 when he played for Doosan. His detailed performance in the 2023 season was outstanding with 32 hits (1 homerun), 22 walks, 59 strikeouts, 12 runs (10 earned runs) in 55 ⅔ innings, WHIP (per-base-plus-slugging percentage) 0.97, WHIP (0.165 ERA) and 0 WHIP. 카지노사이트 순위
Ham Deok-ju, who was thrilled to win the Korean Series, recently had a double celebration. He joined the ranks of sold-out men by having a wedding with his bride Joeyan on the 9th. Ham Deok-ju, who has one daughter, said, “I registered my marriage in December last year, but thinking about having a wedding gives me more responsibility. As much as I feel responsible, I will exercise harder and show good performances to my family and fans.” Ham returned to Korea on the 20th after going on a honeymoon in Hawaii.
This winter, Ham was left with the first FA negotiation that was important. Recently, the Major League Baseball’s secretariat asked him to check his identity. As he had never expressed his intention to advance to the Major League before, it could be called a surprise identification inquiry. This meant that there was at least one Major League club that was showing interest in Ham. It seemed to be drawing attention from the fact that he has an ERA of 1 point, WHIP of 0 point, unique pitching form, and FA that can freely negotiate without transfer fee. In fact, if you look closely at Ham’s pitching motion, you can see that he has his unique twisting motion in his left arm that he pitches. With this kind of pitching motion, Yeom Kyung-yeop, the coach of the team, thought it would be difficult to throw the ball as a starting pitcher in a cool-headed manner. When asked about Ham’s possible switching to a starting pitcher in July, Yeom said, “I think it is too much to throw the ball as a starting pitcher. If the pitching mechanism is the starting pitcher, he could suffer damage,” adding, “(Ham) Deok-joo has a twisting motion (before throwing the ball). If the number of pitches he throws as a starting pitcher increases, the speed could drop. Nor can he correct his pitching form now. For now, throwing two innings at the most or one inning each is best. If you pitch two innings, you have to take a rest the next day.”
Being a free agent, Ham was able to freely sign contracts with other clubs, including overseas ones, without the permission of his original team, the LG Twins. Even if Major League Baseball’s identification request simply meant an official identification, such interest was clearly a boon to the FA contract. Still, LG had already made a plan to beat Ham Deok-joo apart from the ML identification inquiry. When he heard the news of the Major League’s identification inquiry immediately at an award ceremony, Cha Myung-seok, the team’s general manager, said, “I had no idea. I was surprised. I found out after reading the article,” adding, “It was the process of constantly meeting and talking with FA players (in the team). I think I need to find out how things are going, but (the policy of renewing contract with Ham) is no different.” Since then, Cha continued to express his intention to sign with Ham, saying, “We will catch all the FA (Im Chan-gyu, Ham Deok-joo, and Kim Min-sung).” As the announcement was made a day before Christmas, LG fans will be able to stay with Ham Deok-joo next season.
