KBO season leaves no clear-cut title favorite

As the baseball cliche goes, hope springs eternal before the start of a new season. Everyone is on the starting blocks with the same blank slate, and there are all kinds of interesting possibilities over six-plus months of the regular season.

More often than not, though, reality kicks in soon enough, as contenders begin to put some distance between themselves and pretenders.

The 2014 Korea Baseball Organization season, which gets underway on Saturday, may well be a rare exception. The competition is expected to be so wide open that a title favorite probably won’t emerge until much later in the season.

Pundits pointed out that the Samsung Lions, who have won the pennant and the championship Korean Series the past three years, may find it difficult to extend their streak, even though their acquisition of a former major league reliever Lim Chang-yong this week won back some skeptics.

Earlier offseason moves left some major holes on the Lions’ roster, putting their streak in jeopardy this year. Their closer Oh Seung-hwan left as a free agent to join the Hanshin Tigers in Japan.

The Lions had planned to turn Ahn Ji-man, a long-time setup man, into their new closer. Though he has the stuff to be a quality closer, he has limited experience in closing.

The potential hole in the back end of the bullpen left analysts doubtful about the Lions’ title chances, but in came Lim, who has pitched in the KBO, Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball, and can still reach 151 kilometers per hour on the radar gun.

The 37-year-old right-hander signed a one-year deal for 500 million won ($466,500) with Samsung just days after getting released by the Chicago Cubs. The man with 168 career saves said he’s ready to pitch right away, which is bad news for the rest of the league.

The Lions lost another key player, leadoff man Bae Young-seob, who began his mandatory military service after the end of last season. The club will miss Bae’s speed ― he had 83 steals from 2011 to 2013 ― from the top of the lineup.

The Lions are hoping Yamaico Navarro, their new offseason acquisition, can fill the void in the lineup. The former major leaguer from the Dominican Republic can play all infield positions and has also played some outfield in the majors.

Lee Soon-cheol, a former KBO All-Star outfielder and manager, and currently a commentator for SBS Sports, said the Lions may no longer be the dominant force but their depth will keep them afloat.

“They still have a ton of talent,” Lee said. “With Lim’s return, they’re probably as strong as last year. Their position players are experienced, even though they will be lacking in speed.”

Navarro is one of 18 new foreign players to join the KBO for 2014.

Kim Jae-hyun, a former KBO All-Star and now a commentator for SBS Sports, said new position players from overseas should provide a breath of fresh air.

“I felt the players last season lacked fundamentals and veterans didn’t play to their capabilities,” he said. “I feel that new foreign batters will further motivate Korean players and push them to reach greater heights. The early going of the new season will be interesting.” (Yonhap)