Hanwha general manager Son Hyuk took the helm of Kiwoom ahead of the 2020 season. Ahn Woo-jin (24), who was the top prospect at the time, led the Ace project and produced bold results even in a short process. He is the general manager who led Ahn Woo-jin to become a top-notch ace that everyone knows.

Previously, health was an issue. After joining in 2018, he was not free from injuries for three years. He was often left out of the first team due to shoulder or back injuries. He had the impression that his body couldn’t stand the top-class pitch.

In 2020, Ahn Woo-jin’s problem diagnosed by general manager Sohn was in his pitching form. Director Sohn evaluated that despite his tall stature, Ahn Woo-jin has a pitching mechanic that puts strain on his upper body, especially his arms, not his lower body. He ordered extensions to use the lower body ahead of the 2020 season, and he predicted that when the extensions are increased, he will be able to get a healthier, stronger pitch and control.

In the 2020 season, Ahn Woo-jin went back and forth between the 1st and 2nd teams as an intermediate pitcher. And from 2021, when General Manager Sohn put down the baton and left, he started to rise as a special selection.

He started 21 games in 2021 and threw 107.2 innings, and 30 starts in 2022 and digested 196 innings. Last year, his average fastball velocity soared to 153 km/h. He established himself as a super ace with an average of 2.53 walks per 9 innings and a WHIP (percentage on base allowed per inning) of 0.95. Of course, the owner of the Golden Glove in the pitching category for the 2022 season was Ahn Woo-jin.

An Woo-jin did not go through a special process. Most of the pitchers who join the pros go through small and large corrections. The road to success opens when you get on the mound while maintaining your strengths and health.

However, new Hanwha pitcher Moon Dong-ju (20) diagnoses that such a process is not necessary. General manager Sohn said at the Arizona camp in the United States in February, “Dong-ju has nothing to fix in particular about the pitching mechanic. He already throws with good mechanics. He said there is no risk of injury due to his pitching form.”

His high school pitching mechanics are not inherited intact. Compared to his high school days, the trajectory of his backswing has decreased. Last year, the first year of his joining, this part was modified to reduce the burden on his arm and make his ball more stable.

so it’s scarier And you can grow faster. Moon Dong-ju recorded a maximum speed of 157km and an average speed of 154km in an exhibition match against Lotte held at Sajik Stadium on the 25th. He’s on his way to becoming the fastest-throwing pitcher in the league at a time when he’s still not in 100 percent condition. He had a good run through his last exhibition game before the opener, throwing 63 pitches, giving up 1 run on 4 hits and 7 strikeouts in 4 innings.

It is also strongly entrenched in the head of Hanwha coach Carlos Subero. Coach Subero is considering Birch Smith or Moon Dong-ju as starting pitchers for Kiwoom and Opening Day at Gocheok Dome on April 1. Currently, Smith has a high probability of starting the opening game, but coach Subero said of Moon Dong-ju, “It is certain that he will be the starting pitcher for the opening game in the future.”바카라사이트

He doesn’t have to rush. The Hanwha club also plans to limit the innings of Moon Dong-ju, who is in his second year as a pro. He is paying particular attention to his conditioning, with his innings set around 120 innings.

Moon Dong-joo is a valuable asset not only to Hanwha, but also to Korean baseball. Although he was not included in the final entry for the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), international competitions in which Moon Dong-ju can play, such as the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games (AG) and the 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC), will continue to be held.

Through the 2023 WBC, Korean baseball clearly felt the difference between the baseball powerhouse and the level. In particular, there was a big difference in the speed and pitch of the pitchers. But it’s not without a future. If new fastball throwers, including Moon Dong-ju, continue to grow, another picture can unfold at the 2026 WBC three years later.