Dodgers manager: Ryu is one of the top pitchers in baseball

“He’s one of the top pitchers in baseball.”

LA Dodgers manager Don Mattingly gave unsparing words of compliments on bullpen pitching by Ryu Hyun-jin, who was seen at Camelback Ranch in Arizona, the U.S. on Tuesday. Ryu threw 43 pitches, slightly more than the number of his first bullpen pitching on Sunday. The first bullpen pitching was received by Yasmani Grandal, while the second on the day was caught by A.J. Ellis, who was the ace catcher until the previous season. Experts say that Grandal, who is young at 26 and boasts power batting (15 homers), will become the top performer of the Dodgers team in the 2015 season.

At a briefing after the bullpen pitching, Manager Mattingly said that even though Ryu Hyun-jin is one of the big three on the Dodgers’ mound, he did not earn recognition that he deserves. He believes that Ryu is often overlooked.

In fact, Ryu is not lagging far behind among the trio, but is receiving a relatively small annual pay, and is not drawing notable attention from the media. Three injuries he suffered last season are a critical factor. Although he disappointed some fans due to injury last year, he sufficiently lived up to expectations when considering the price tag on him. This was evidenced by his stellar pitching of just five hits and one run in six innings despite taking the mound in 24 days in the third game of the Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

After the big three at the LA Dodgers were mobilized since the 2013 season, Clayton Kershaw, the team’s ace pitcher, had an ERA of 1.80 with 37 wins and 10 losses, while Zack Greinke had an ERA of 2.61 with 32 wins and 12 losses. Ryu had an ERA of 3.17 with 28 wins and 15 losses. This rotation of starting pitchers is something to be envied by other teams.

The biggest reason for Ryu’s underrating among the trio is the innings in which he pitched, rather than the results of games. Kershaw was out of the ground due to injury for one month and 15 days last year, but overcame the hardship. For two seasons, Kershaw played in 434.1 innings, Greinke 390 innings, and Ryu 344 innings. For this reason, Ryu aims to play in 200 innings.

Meanwhile, Orel Hershiser, a famed pitcher-turned baseball commentator who watched Ryu’s bullpen pitching on the day, said that Ryu displayed the same pitching style he had shown in regular seasons, while catcher Ellis said that Ryu`s sliders were very good.