"I think I'll offer any team no matter what." Will Tokushima remain with Shirakawa?

Jun 28, 2024

The KIA-SSG match at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 13th. SSG starter Shirakawa pitches. Incheon = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.6.13/

The team's opinion is still 50-50. With the time for a decision approaching, can Shirakawa Kisho continue to play in the KBO League.

Shirakawa, a Japanese pitcher recruited by SSG Landers as an injury replacement for Roenis Elias. After graduating from high school in Japan, he was not nominated by the Japanese professional baseball team and played in the independent league. He was a member of the Tokushima Indigo Sox, an independent league club where Ha Jae-hoon once played. There, Shirakawa was an ace pitcher. Tokushima is a team that produces a lifetime of nominees in the NPB draft almost every year. An independent league team is by no means negligible. This is because young semi-professional players are playing as a land of opportunity.

Although it was a six-week contract, recruiting a 23-year-old young pitcher from the Japanese independent league without professional experience was a kind of adventure and gamble. If Shirakawa succeeds, a new trail could be created, and at the same time, there could be a concern of humiliation for the KBO League. On the contrary, if Shirakawa failed, finding foreign players to replace injuries, which will be implemented for the first time this year, could have been difficult.

Shirakawa has performed better than expected. He took the mound in five games and posted a 2-2 record with a 5.09 ERA. At first glance, it may not be impressive, but the pitch clearly showed a possibility of success. He has a unique pitching form, fast balls, powerful pitches, and sharp curves. As soon as he joined the team with a friendly and favorable impression, he was greatly loved by SSG fans. Club officials said "The club channel video or short video featuring Shirakawa has a huge number of views. The fans are very interested."

The match between SSG and Hanwha held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 26th. Keisho Shirakawa, a foreign pitcher replacing SSG, who is showing bullpen pitching. Incheon = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2024.05.26/

Then, my worries began. Elias almost recovered from his injury and pitched two games in the Futures League. Next week, he finished his preparation at a level where he could start in the first team. However, the SSG club has yet to come to a conclusion. After the match against Incheon KT on the 28th, which could be Shirakawa's last start, the coaching staff, front staff, and the team all asked for their opinions. Until now, opinions have been divided exactly 50-50 to date. There is a strong disagreement between the opinion that we should go to Elias and the opinion that it is better to replace it with Shirakawa. I have no choice but to have a headache.

It's not an easy choice, but if you give up one of the two players, you have to make a waiver announcement. If either Shirakawa or Elias becomes a waver, there is a possibility that other clubs can access it. Both are pitchers who have been proven to some extent on the KBO League stage. It is attractive enough for clubs considering replacing foreign pitchers. If a replacement player is brought from the United States or other leagues abroad, it takes time to sign a contract and additional time to issue visas, adapt to the environment, and adapt to the team after entering the country, and these players can join immediately.

The KBO League match between SSG and Kiwoom held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 11th. SSG starter Elias, who is being replaced with a runner left in the seventh inning. Incheon = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2024.04.11/

At first, the weight leaned more toward the stable Elias, who showed a solid performance in the KBO League last year, but Shirakawa pitched well against teams that SSG thought were tricky, such as NC and KIA, and there was a plus factor in showing the pitching content that was never pushed back against opposing ace pitchers. There are concerns about full-time physical strength because the starting rotation of the independent league is every 9-10 days, but the training part does not believe that there is a high level of concern about this. If you get used to it a little more, it means you can get it on the 5th turn.

Tokushima, Shirakawa's original club, will respect the player's will" is in the position. If SSG concludes to remain in Shirakawa, it will officially confirm its intention with the player. While playing in Korea, he can still be a target for the NPB draft.

Currently, other KBO League clubs are reportedly interested in Shirakawa. An official from club A expressed the atmosphere, saying, `If SSG makes a decision, I think any team will make an offer unconditionally.' Deadline is July 4, just before the All-Star break. Until then, it must be decided in some way. Shirakawa will accompany him on an expedition to Changwon.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.

"I think I'll offer any team no matter what." Will Tokushima remain with Shirakawa?

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