SSG Landers' new foreign pitcher, right-hander Robert Dugger (29), raised expectations by throwing a 150km fastball in his first bullpen pitch.
Dugger pitched a bullpen at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Florida, USA on the 7th (Korean time).
Dugger, who threw 29 pitches in front of coach Lee Soong-yong, head coach Song Shin-young, and pitching coach Bae Young-soo, showed off a variety of pitches, including a fastball, two-seam fastball, slider, curve, sweeper, and changeup.
According to the club, Dugger's highest fastball speed on this day was 151.1 km/h, and the average speed was 148.2 km/h.
Dugger was selected by the Seattle Mariners with the 537th overall pick in the 2016 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft, and was traded to the Miami Marlins in 2017.
Dugger, who entered the MLB stage as a member of Miami in 2019, played for the Tampa Bay Rays and Cincinnati Reds. He pitched 86⅔ innings in 27 MLB games (13 as a starter), leaving with no wins, 7 losses, and an ERA of 7.17.
Last year, he signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers and went 7-10 in 29 games in Triple-A with a 4.31 earned run average. In particular, he ranked first in strikeouts in the Triple-A Pacific League with 143 strikeouts.
Instead of re-signing left-hander Kirk McCarty, who had good skills last year but suffered from minor injuries, SSG chose the experienced Dugger, who raised expectations by throwing fast balls from his first bullpen pitch.
Dugger said through the club, "I threw at 80%, and I am happy that I was in control as I expected. I don't show my emotions on the outside, but I have a boiling competitive spirit inside. I will build a body that can throw about 80 to 100 balls in the opening game." "he said.
Meanwhile, left-hander Roenis Elias (36), who joined as a replacement for Eni Romero last season and succeeded in renewing his contract with decent performance, also threw 31 balls from the bullpen that day.
“I am happy to play for SSG again,” said Elias. “I am mentally and physically prepared. I will try to win as many games as possible.”
Pitching coach Bae Young-soo said, "Dugger's aggressive pitching stood out. He threw a variety of breaking balls, and the perfection was also very high. The curveball was especially powerful."
Coach Bae also said, “Elias pitched while setting up situations for left and right batters, and his level was high enough to throw a good ball where he wanted.” He added, “I am satisfied that the two foreign pitchers, who make up the largest portion of the starting rotation, appear to be in good condition.” added.
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