21-Year-Old Left-Hander Of Love And Hatred, Kim Tae-hyung

Next year is my fourth year as a professional. Still, there is a pitcher who makes us expect that "will it be different next year" every winter.

It is Kim Jin-wook (21) of the Lotte Giants. When I was a second grader at Gangneung High School, I won the Choi Dong-won Award early on. He was called the best pitcher in high school, ahead of Lee Eui-ri (KIA Tigers).

Lotte gave him a down payment of 370 million won, which was nominated as the first overall pick in the second round of 2021. It is higher than his friend Lee Eui-ri (300 million won) or Cho Hyung-joon (KT Wiz, 360 million won), a year senior who debuted after winning the high school baseball league the previous year. Lotte's expectations are revealed.

The past three years have been filled with regret and disappointment. Not to mention the expected left-hander starter, he failed to settle properly in the bullpen. The difference between Lee Eui-ri and So Hyeong-jun, who have already established themselves as top-level and national-level starters in the league, has become an "excessive barrier."

He has 8 wins, 12 losses, 16 holds, and a 6.44 ERA. He had a mid-6 ERA in all three seasons. The problem is the control of the release point, which swings and jumps. Even though his mouth is "splattered" with disappointment, he is a pitcher who can't help but look forward to it again when he sees the pitch of the bullpen pitching.

Manager Kim Tae-hyung has been busy since he took office. The inauguration ceremony was held on the 24th and the team met on the 25th. It is a passionate and capable team for young players facing the frustration of failing to play fall baseball for six consecutive years. While encouraging him to be confident, he said, "I tend to respond strongly to personal feelings and actions," and added, "You should never get the vague illusion that you will do better than this year." He also gave a hint, saying, "Build your body with baseball, not weight."

Lotte's final camp will be held on the 3rd with a training-day break. But the first turn is four days. On Saturday, the team disbanded after only light training sessions. Young pitchers have been ordered to the coaches to "actively play bullpen pitching from the first day of camp." I only took a year off, and I was a commentator, so my sense of the field didn't deteriorate at all.

Manager Kim Tae-hyung watching Kim Jin-wook's pitching. 

On the 26th, manager Kim stayed in the bullpen for a long time and watched the pitchers. Major pitchers such as Park Se-woong, Na Kyun-an, Koo Seung-min and Kim Won-joong have not yet joined. New pitchers such as Jang Se-jin, Lee Tae-yeon, and Hong Min-ki intensively played bullpen pitching. Pitcher coaches such as Bae Young-soo and Kim Hyun-wook assisted manager Kim.

Coach Kim, who met with reporters during the training, smiled, saying, "Overall, there are many pitchers with fast balls." However, "It is important that the ball is fast, but in order to manage the game well, you must have control first. However, he added, "The ball is fast, but if I get control, it would be better."

Kim has yet to memorize all the players' names. This is because there are many players who are practicing in practice clothes without names.

However, Hong Min-ki, the second round first round in 2020, and Lee Jin-ha, the second round in 2023, were cited as examples. Lee Jin-ha is highly anticipated as he has pitched in nine games in the first division of his debut season. Hong Min-ki returned this year after serving in the military in disappointment, but he is still a pitcher with only ⅓ innings in one game two years ago.

On the same day, manager Kim expressed special interest in Kim Jin-wook, who pitched in the bullpen. He even checked the slide step, referring to "Peach Clock." Citing former disciples Lee Young-ha (Doosan Bears) and Ham Deok-ju (LG Twins), "My arms are drawn to my body. As a result, he pointed out, "Lilith is going back and forth. There was a lot of affection for the words, "Don't hurry and take your time."

However, director Kim laughed to the reporters, saying, "Did he look happy (looking at Kim Jin-wook). Can his intensive training lead to Kim Jin-wook's transformation.

스포츠토토