He’s always pitched with power in the Futures League, so why can’t he do it in the big leagues?
Samsung Lions pitcher Yang Chang-seop (24) started against the Lotte Giants Futures team in the 2023 KBO Futures League at Gyeongsan Stadium on August 8. It was his first start for the Futures since he was removed from the first team roster after the Incheon SSG Landers game on the previous day.
Yang pitched well on the day. In the first inning, he retired Kim Dong-hyuk on a fly ball to left field and Jung Dae-sun on a foul fly ball to right field, then gave up a walk to Lee Jung-hoon but retired Han Dong-hee on a fly ball to left field.
After getting out of the second inning with no outs, Yang gave up a run in the third. In the fourth, he gave up a hit by pitch to Han Dong-hee 스포츠토토, but retired Kang Tae-yul, Park Hyung-joon, and Lee Jung-woo. After a scoreless fifth inning, he gave up an RBI single to Kang Tae-yul in the sixth, but otherwise retired the rest of the batters he faced.
On the day, Yang allowed two runs on six hits and five walks with seven strikeouts. He threw 94 pitches. Although the team suffered a 1-2 loss, Yang’s pitching shined through.
Chang-Seop Yang is having an incredible season in the Futures League. In seven games, he has a 1-0 record with a 1.96 ERA. He has two consecutive quality starts (6 innings or less).
However, his numbers dwindle as he moves up to the first team. He started the season as Samsung’s fifth starter but was sent down to the second team after going 1-1 with a 9.72 ERA in three games, including one relief appearance in April.
He was good in the second team. With a 1-0 record and a 1.59 ERA, he earned another call-up from Samsung manager Park Jin-man. He was given the chance to claim the fifth starter’s spot as his own, a spot that no one else, including Heo Yoon-dong, Jang Pil-joon, and Choi Ha-neul, had claimed.
He didn’t. On May 26 against the Daegu KT Wiz, he had a decent outing with five innings of seven hits (one home run), one walk and three runs, but on May 1 against the Incheon SSG Landers, he collapsed with four innings of 10 hits (four home runs), two walks, two strikeouts and 11 runs. The next day, he was sent to the second team.
Yang’s first-team record this season is 5-3 with an 11.94 ERA, a far cry from his second-team record.
Yang joined Samsung in the second round of the 2018 draft after graduating from Duksugo, and showed promise in his rookie season with a 7-6 record in 19 games in 2018. However, his rookie season remains his best record. Injuries kept him out of the 2019 season, and he was limited to seven games in 2020 and nine in 2021. Last season, he didn’t do anything special either, going 2-3 with an 8.41 ERA in six games.
I was more excited than ever for this season, and it’s heartbreaking to see him struggle so badly.
