Chris Flexen (29‧ Seattle), who played for Doosan and is familiar to KBO league fans, will be eligible as a free agent (FA) after this season. This is his chance to hit the top jackpot in his career. Considering his age, this is also his last chance.

Flexen, who returned to the major leagues by signing with Seattle in 2021, played as a starter until midway through the 2022 season. However, as Seattle, which was on the verge of advancing to the postseason, recruited starting pitchers, and young players who were preparing for major league call-ups entered the rotation, Flexen’s position became vague.

In fact, there is a big difference in the value of a ‘starter’ and a ‘bullpen pitcher’ in the market. The highest salary for a bullpen pitcher is a little over $100 million, but proven starting pitchers often earn more than $20 million a year. It was good for Flexen to have a showcase for the FA season as a starter, if possible. But Seattle’s starting lineup was pretty strong, so Flexen was consistently mentioned as a trade card.

In the end, Flexen, who started the season as a bullpen pitcher rather than a starter, seemed to have one last chance. This is because the team’s left-handed ace, Robbie Ray, left due to an elbow injury. However, he was sluggish with 4 losses and an ERA of 7.46 in 8 games (4 starting games) this season, and another strong newcomer appeared in the starting rotation and sat down again in the bullpen.

Right-hander Bryce Miller (25), who made his major league debut this year, is the main character. Miller, who joined with Seattle’s 4th round selection in 2021, made his major league debut this year after steadily stepping up in the minor leagues. The results were beyond expectations. Based on his powerful pitch, he left a strong impression on the ground as well as his performance.

Miller pitched 19 innings in his first three games, going 2-0 with an earned run average of 0.47. His batting average was only 0.111. He struck out 18 batters, giving up one walk. The evaluation that it is his all-time debut is dominant.

Miller was the first pitcher to debut in the major leagues since 1901 to throw at least 15 innings in three games with eight or fewer bases drawn. Miller allowed only seven hits and one walk in three games. He also became the first pitcher since Eduardo Rodriguez in 2015 to have three or fewer hits while pitching six or more innings in all of his first three games 메이저놀이터.

Miller’s baseball is literally romantic. He enjoys a head-to-head game that is rare in baseball these days. Miller throws a fastball that averages 95.5 mph. He’s not a fast pacer, but he has tremendous explosive power. He has an average of 2606 rotations per minute on his fastball, and has excellent vertical movement, so he has strength in high fastballs.

Miller enjoys a bold game, with a whopping 63.3% of four-seam, not two-seam or cutter. He throws a variety of pitches, including sliders, curveballs, and changeups. It is a cool pitching content that fans can feel romantic. For the time being, he is expected to play an active part in the starting rotation.

Despite Ray’s injury, Seattle’s starting rotation is relatively smooth, with Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Marco Gonzalez, and Bryce Miller in that order. Flexen has been coming out of the bullpen lately and has not been able to show his real ability. Of course, it is regrettable for Flexen that a large number of promising players who came to the season just before free agency appeared.