RADIO
Hyun-Jin Ryu 2019 Outlook: Innings A Question, But Talent Is Not
6 years agoIn 2018, Hyun-Jin Ryu posted a sparkling 1.97 ERA albeit through only 82.1 IP. The lefty managed 9.73 K/9 and limited walks to only 1.64 per nine innings, which are both excellent compared to the rest of the league. Ryu is not a hard-throwing pitcher, but his pitch mix allows him to stay effective. He almost completely phased out his slider and used his cutter 25% of the time, his fastball 37%, and his curve and changeup an equal 18.6% each. At 31 years old, Ryu is still in his prime years and the average velocity of 90 MPH doesn’t put him at a large risk for decline; however, he hasn’t thrown more than 152 IP since his rookie year in 2013. It would be difficult to predict how many innings he’ll pitch in 2019, but he should be in line to pitch more with the benefit of Ross Stripling available to spot start to keep Ryu and others fresh. An ADP of 179 and the 50th pitcher off the board is a fair valuation of the talent and opportunity but may be too high considering the risk that his innings and injuries could decrease opportunity. There are more reliable options around this pick, so let Ryu fall down the board a bit to get better value.
