Meet The New Guys: Hyun-Jin Ryu

Hyun-Jin Ryu is a 33 year old left handed starting pitcher from South Korea. Ryu is one of the most well known members of the team at the moment, as he was Toronto’s free agency splash. The Jays managed to sign the former Dodger to a 4 year $80 million deal over the offseason, which came out of nowhere. It was common knowledge the Jays were looking for pitching upgrades, but Ryu came as a surprise to many, exciting Jays fans around the country.

With the Dodgers in 2019, Ryu finished the year as the NL ERA champion, pitching for a 2.32 ERA en route to his first ever all-star game. Ryu also finished second in Cy Young voting to second time winner Jacob Degrom. Ryu also finished the year as the league leader in ERA+, as well as BB/9. Although 2019 was Ryu’s first standout season, the six year veteran has shown strong success in the past with a career 2.98 ERA alongside his 54-33 win-loss record. Despite prolonged success, many remain to question Ryu’s fit in Toronto. Not only will he be making to move to a hitter friendly ballpark in a powerhouse offensive division, but many career numbers appear worrying, especially his innings.

Ryu is undoubtedly a great pitcher, but will he be able to provide the help that Toronto truly needs? Going into 2020, Toronto has a much improved rotation, but the bullpen remains a major concern, with Giles being the only lock to start the year. Despite an incredible year from Ryu last season, he only managed to log 182.2 innings last season, averaging under 6.1 innings per start. It was only the second time he has thrown more than 160.0 innings in a season, as both stamina and injuries have been an issue throughout his career. Coming to Toronto as a 33 year old on a 4 year deal has caused doubt for many that he will be an effective piece for Toronto to build around, especially with the core of the team being so young.

Ryu is surely an exciting piece for the Jays, as not only does he signal the start of a new (competing) era, but it fills a void the team has long needed. Despite many question marks surrounding his fit with the team, Ryu will be an exciting player to watch this season.