He is already Samsung’s “longest-serving foreign player ever. He’s been playing for four years in a row. Now, it looks like he’s going to get the ‘fifth year’ title. David Buchanan (34). There’s no reason not to catch him.
Buchanan made a start against SSG at home on April 14, giving up two runs on five hits and four walks with one strikeout in five innings. He didn’t get the win, but Samsung pulled off a 5-3 comeback victory that day. The game also marked the first time Oh Seung-hwan reached 400 saves in his KBO career.
With this record, Buchanan finished the season with a 12-8 record in 30 games, 188 innings pitched, and a 2.54 ERA. He doesn’t have a ton of strikeouts (139), but he does have 43 walks allowed. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is 3.23.
First, he pitched the most innings in his career. It’s also the first time he’s gone over 180 innings, which is a career high. For the fourth consecutive year, he won 10 games and had a sub-2 ERA for the first time in his career. His lowest ERA was 3.04 last year.
His WAR (wins above replacement) is 5.15, according to Statcast. That’s more than the 4.68 he posted in 2020, his first season. His ERA+ (adjusted earned run average) is also the best at 167.3.
Even in the league as a whole, he’s exceptional. He’s third in the league in ERA, first in innings pitched, tied for fifth in wins, and ninth in strikeouts. He’s sixth in WAR and third in ERA+.
It’s a career high in almost every way. He’s Samsung’s undisputed ace. Even with the loss of Albert Suarez to injury and the arrival of replacement Taylor Widener, Buchanan was still the best.
There’s a word that comes up at the end of every season. It’s “re-signing. Those who stay stay, those who go go. For Samsung, Buchanan should be considered for re-signing.
He was born in 1989 and played his age 34 season. He’ll be 35 next year. But he shows no signs of aging. He’s the team’s most obvious “constant. If you lose a pitcher like him, the power gap is obvious.
Off the field, he’s a big deal: on the mound, he focuses on himself, but when he’s not on the mound, he’s the best cheerleader in the dugout. He’s a great atmosphere maker. He has the trust of his teammates 메이저놀이터.
It’s possible Buchanan could leave for another league, but it doesn’t seem likely. Samsung’s optimization ace.
Widener’s inconsistent play. At this rate, it seems likely that Samsung will keep Buchanan as their primary option and go back to looking for a secondary foreign pitcher.
It’s just a matter of talent. It’s hard to find another pitcher of this caliber for $1 million.