Ryu Hyun-jin (37), who is still a free agent, has emerged as a candidate to be recruited by the Minnesota Twins, last year's American League Central Division champions.
On the 11th (Korean time), Pucketpond, who covers Minnesota for the American media Fan Said, mentioned Ryu Hyun-jin while mentioning "five free agent players that Minnesota should target after recruiting Carlos Santana (38)."
Minnesota, which had been having a relatively quiet transfer market, showed off its presence late by trading second baseman Jorge Polanco to the Seattle Mariners on the 30th of last month and recruiting veteran first baseman Santana with '301 career home runs'. Additional reinforcement is needed to maintain the performance of winning the district championship last year. In particular, the starting lineup, which included ace Sonny Gray (35) and veteran Kenta Maeda (36, Detroit Tigers), was in essential need of reinforcement.
Hyun-Jin Ryu, mentioned along with outfielders Adam Duvall, Tommy Pham, and Michael Taylor and starting pitchers Johnny Cueto and Brandon Woodruff, was judged by the media to be the most logical replacement for Maeda. Pucketpond previously did not attach much significance to Cueto's recruitment, saying, "There is also a reason why I would like to see a once-famous player rebound his career once again."
However, regardless of his personal preference, Ryu Hyun-jin believed that it would be of real help to Minnesota. “A player who would be a much more logical fit for Minnesota than Cueto would be Hyun-Jin Ryu,” Puckettpond said. “Hyun-Jin Ryu is still a serviceable player and could be a sleeper with potential,” he said. “The reason Cueto is worth bringing in is because of Hyun-Jin Ryu as well. “This applies to most, but there is no major downside to Ryu Hyun-jin. Both are recovering from injuries, but Ryu Hyun-jin has been much more productive with the Toronto Blue Jays.” Sleeper is a word often used in the famous American web game 'Major League Fantasy', and refers to a player who does not receive attention at first, but can be expected to make a surprise performance during the season. This is not the first time that Ryu Hyun-jin has been quietly overrated, even among the 4th and 5th starters.
First of all, a solid career increases trust in him. After joining the LA Dodgers through the Major League posting system in 2013, Ryu Hyun-jin was called the 'Korean Monster' after spending 11 successful seasons with a total of 186 big league games, 78 wins, 48 losses, and an ERA of 3.27. In this process, he is also highly praised for standing up again despite numerous hardships, including left shoulder labrum surgery in 2015 and the second left elbow ligament fusion surgery (Tommy John surgery) in his career in 2022. The shoulder labrum is a fatal injury that makes it difficult to display the same skills as before even if rehabilitation is successful. However, Ryu Hyun-jin changed his pitching style and pitching design and made a spectacular comeback in 2019, finishing second in the National League Cy Young Award with 14 wins, 5 losses, and an ERA of 2.32.
Even after receiving Tommy John surgery at the age of 35, he stood up strong. He returned in August of last year and entered his second free agency, recording 3 wins, 3 losses, and an ERA of 3.46 in 52 innings in 11 starts. Pucketpond highlighted last year's record and said, "Ryu Hyun-jin only made 11 starts in Toronto last year, but he showed enough off-speed pitching to join Minnesota's excellent pitching staff."
There was one more thing that this media found attractive about Ryu Hyun-jin. Maeda, Ryu Hyun-jin's teammate during his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, left for Detroit this winter after playing for three years in Minnesota. “When you compare Hyun-Jin Ryu and Maeda, it’s scary how similar their past careers are,” said Puckettpond. “Both are looking to rebound from elbow surgery after delivering dominant performances for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the late 2010s. Maeda is expected to return in 2020. He was surprised and said, “He took second place and Ryu Hyun-jin took third place in the American League Cy Young Award.”
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