Shim Joon-seok, a fastball pitcher who is entering his third year in the U.S., is still in the lowest rank in the minor league. His ERA is also disappointing at 9.82.
Shim Jun-seok, who has been highly regarded for his ability to throw fastballs since his days as a high school student, signed a contract with Pittsburgh and chose to play in the U.S. instead of the Korea Baseball Organization. MLB Pipeline also rated Shim Jun-seok as 10th overall and 2nd among pitchers in the international rankings of promising players at the time of signing the contract.스포츠토토
Up until then, Shim had an average fastball speed of 94 to 96 miles, and posted a maximum of 100 miles. On top of that, Shim also received good reviews for his curveball and slider that dropped off the bell. However, Shim has not been out of the rookie league for three years, contrary to expectations. He even traded from his original team, Pittsburgh, to his current team, Miami.
Shim Joon-seok played in a total of four games in the Rookie League, the lowest level in this season's minor league, and pitched 3 1/2 innings as of Tuesday (Korea time). He has lost one game without a win, and his ERA stands at a whopping 9.82.
His ostensible performance is not good, but his details are even worse. While striking out 18 this season, he allowed as many as nine walks. In addition, the WHIP reading, which indicates the permitted run rate per inning, is a whopping 2.45. This means that two or more runners are on base per inning. It may not be easy for pitchers themselves, but it also means that fielders who are staring at their backs increase defense fatigue.
After playing in the U.S., Shim Jun-seok's biggest problem is his durability. He missed most of the season due to right chest muscle injury in 2023, and had to take rest for the entire season in 2024 due to shoulder injury. Fortunately, he participated in the Arizona Fall League that year, but allowed 11 runs and 37.5 percent of walks during five innings, showing problems with his ball control and ball speed. He only had 92 miles of average ball speed and 93.5 miles maximum.
Shim received high expectations in the U.S. due to his good physical condition and fastball pitching. However, his development has been delayed due to repeated injuries and ball control problems even at an early age. Fans are also seeing Shim's eyes mixed.
Fans with a positive perspective cited Shim Joon-seok's fastball as a strength and evaluated that "he has various conditions to become a good pitcher in the Major League." On the other hand, some people with negative views expressed pessimism, saying, "We seem to have traded Tyler Colleck 2.0 version."
Some give neutral assessments. Some fans expressed their opinion that Shim's poor performance could be a temporary phenomenon that could occur in the process of recovering from his injury.
Amid mixed reactions from fans, attention is being paid to whether Shim Joon-seok, who is struggling in the rookie league, will be able to create a rebound.