Dodgers 2014 Player Reviews: Hyun-Jin Ryu

Under the Guggenheim Baseball Management group, the dedication to a quick turnaround was apparent. The new ownership approved of the Los Angeles Dodgers historic trade with the Boston Red Sox and were aggressive in free agency prior to the 2013 season.

One of the team’s signings was Hyun-Jin Ryu, who starred in South Korea before making the leap to the United States. Ryu was impressive in his rookie season and backed it up with another strong campaign in 2014.

Although he spent time on the disabled list with a shoulder injury and was again shutdown in the latter stages of the season, Ryu finished with a 14-7 record and a 3.38 ERA. Ryu’s ERA increased slightly from his rookie season and he made four less starts while pitching 152 innings compared to 192 in 2013.

Ryu traveled back to his native South Korea after the Dodgers were eliminated from the playoffs and said he’s focused on conditioning so as to avoid injury and reach 200 innings pitched.

2014 Highlight

During the season, there are a few series that draw plenty of attention and excitement. One of them being the ‘Freeway Series’ between the Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The Dodgers only won one of the two games at Chavez Ravine and received an outstanding performance from Dan Haren to win game three in Anaheim.

The final game of the series rested on the shoulders of Ryu and he delivered one of the best pitching performances of his career. In seven innings, he allowed two hits and zero earned runs to a team that owned an impressive lineup. The Dodgers won the fourth game 7-0 and won the series against their Southern California rival.

The outing against the Angels was a second impressive start for Ryu, who ran his career totals to 16 innings pitched, four hits and zero earned runs allowed in two starts.

2015 Outlook

With a goal in mind of pitching more innings, the 2015 season should be much of the same for Ryu but hopefully free of injury. The southpaw has proven to be an elite No. 3 starter in the rotation and he figures to again be a driving force for the Dodgers.