KT manager Lee Kang-chul smiled happily about a player during the Australian camp in February, saying, "I'm going to die pretty." Oh Won-seok (24), a left-hander who was acquired through a one-on-one trade with SSG after the end of last season, was the main character. It was a waste to give Kim Min (26) a bullpen must-win, but he was satisfied in terms of bringing a young starting pitcher to the left-hander.메이저놀이터
There was a reason why he praised Oh for being pretty and that he was selected as the team's fifth starter early on. He had a very good pitching performance in the bullpen. Lee, who used to see Oh often as an opponent team player, saw room for improvement and improvement. Lee saved a photo of Oh's form on his phone and researched it every day. If only two changes are made, he will be able to throw a much better ball than he is now.
First of all, it was the movement of the upper body. Oh Won-seok raises his arms high when doing windup. He may have the advantage of being able to gather strength, but his upper body movement was so severe that he had to be at a disadvantage in terms of control. On top of that, when pitching, his hind legs tended to float. These were two reasons why he lost zero. Manager Lee was confident that if only two things are fixed well, he can be a big success. We put a lot of effort into it and talked a lot.
Oh has been playing as one of the pillars of KT's selection for this season. As he pitched 33 ⅓ innings in six games through Sunday, he posted an outstanding record of three wins and two losses with an earned run average of 2.97. Four of the six games he pitched were quality starts (more than six innings as a starter, and three earned runs or less), while four were games in which he allowed two runs or less. It was not just luck. His batting average is 0.188, and his on-base plus slugging (WHIP) per inning is 1.05. Considering the detailed indicators while covering up his name on his report card, he could be mistaken as an ace pitcher's performance.
As we continued to recognize the problems and continue to talk, the number of walks definitely decreased. Manager Lee Kang-chul, who is famous as a high-end pitcher trainer, is on the verge of producing another hit. While praising his achievements so far, however, Lee shows that it is difficult to be 100% satisfied. The reason is simple: he has already seen a better ball. Lee was confident that he "has only shown ⅔ yet." He said that there is a lot of room for improvement.
Still, there are some things that go back and forth. "I keep thinking about making drag lines, but sometimes I can't. I can't do it all day long. But (the ups and downs) have decreased a lot," Lee said. Recently, there are days when people throw in set position even when there is no runner at all. This is to reduce the movement of the upper body. However, this does not mean that the speed of the ball has decreased. Rather, it is a difference of mindset, Lee explained. "In 2S, 148 kilometers come out, and in 2B, 142-143 kilometers come out," Lee said. He means that he is ready to maintain a high level of ball speed, and only needs to overcome psychological problems.
He constantly gives counseling and interviews to players to give them confidence. "I spend my time in such a strange way when I give them a walk. They throw the ball, not a tag. They keep telling me to take time to think about why the ball went in like that. I need to think twice on the mound. I have to keep injecting him," Oh said. Still, it is a good thing that the number of balls that are damaged like before or that the number of balls that I just throw in has decreased. Lee, who gave a longer explanation of complementary points rather than compliments despite his good performance, also smiled happily, saying, "He threw strong balls during the 2S. He got a lot better."
It is expected that he will continue to correct it, gain confidence by seeing the effects of the correction, and find a lot of confidence if the confidence leads to good results. Oh Won-seok was a highly anticipated player in SSG, but he eventually shrank under pressure to meet the expectations. However, at KT, which has many good domestic starters, he can focus a little more on his baseball.
"Won-seok is the fifth starter, and he throws it to me like a second or third starter," Lee said. Then, what level of ball did Lee see in the bullpen? "I don't think I can even touch it if I get good pitching during the bullpen session," Lee said. This is what Oh expects. He is now a 24-year-old pitcher.