Wednesday, February 20th, 2008 by Adam Wagner
Byung-Hyun Kim is not equal to Sean Chacon
The Pirates are either “deep in negotiations” or have signed Byung-Hyun Kim, the near-goat of the 2001 World Series. Kim, who is known for his goofy sidearm throwing motion, would be a veteran right-handed pitcher that the club has sorely lacked, but he is definitely not the best option on the market, with that title still belonging to ex-Pirate Sean Chacon.
Kim was an excellent pitcher from 2001-2003, but has been mediocre to awful since then. His pitching style has not worked out in locations such as Florida, Arizona, Boston, and Colorado, all places where he has gone and failed. The Pirates are clearly hoping that Kim can pick up the role that was expected of Chacon last season, a bullpen guy who also has the versatility to take on other responsibilities.
The issue with Kim is that he just has not been the good over the last four seasons, but he was generally used as a starter, a role that the Pirates have no intention of using him. Perhaps Kim’s motion will be more effective if it is only seen once by hitters in a game, as it is so different from any other style that they will see on the Pirates in terms of release points and such, meaning that they will need to make on the fly adjustments and then do so again whenever another pitcher comes on.
Kim’s signing may be a positive one for the bullpen considering the versatility and additional options that rookie manager John Russell will have in the bullpen as well as meaning that he now has Kim, Matt Capps, John Grabow, and Franquelis Osario all but assured of spots in his bullpen. Guessing right now, before any other events have occurred, I would say that Evan Meek, Romulo Sanchez, and Dave Davidson/Juan Perez make the club in addition to the other four to make for a bullpen of virtual no-names that could be a pleasant surprise this season, even if Chacon, who was very good last season, is replaced with Kim, who has not put up solid numbers for a while but could adjust to his new role very well.
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