Hit it hard.”
KIA Tigers pitching coach Jeong Jae-hoon had a long chat with Choi Ji-min (21), who finished pitching in the bullpen, at the bullpen pitching area at Narrabunda Ball Park in Canberra, Australia, on the 9th (Korean time). After finishing the conversation, I asked Choi Ji-min about the contents, and the above answer came out. He is a pitcher who already covered 150km last season, but he throws the ball harder. What does it mean?
Choi Ji-min said, “I have a feeling that my grip on the breaking ball is loosening in front of (the batter). “The coach told me to hit it hard rather than feeling like I was dropping it.” All pitching coaches tell us to throw breaking balls with the same feel and force as fastballs. Only the grip changes. Coach Jeong Jae-hoon once again emphasized the basics.
Looking at it another way, it also means that there is not much to order from Choi Ji-min technically. Choi Ji-min performed well in 58 games in the 2023 season with 6 wins, 3 losses, 12 holds, 3 saves, and an ERA of 2.12. He graduated from Gangneung High School and joined the team in 2022 as the 5th pick in the first round of the second round, but did not have much activity in his first season.
However, he showed his potential last year, in his second year. He contributed greatly to winning the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games by building momentum, and also gained valuable international competition experience at the Asian Professional Baseball Championship. In mid-March, he was also selected as a reserve entry for Team Korea participating in the Seoul Series. Unless something goes wrong, it is likely that the final entry will be selected. He may have a chance to strike out Shohei Ohtani (LA Dodgers).
The turning point was the dispatch to Geelong Korea, an Australian professional baseball team. Choi Ji-min confirmed the effect of adjusting his pitching balance while playing in Australia. His highest speed, which was in the low 140 km/h range, rose to 150 km/h. Even at the beginning of the 2023 season, he consistently recorded distances ranging from the late 140km to 150km. As his stamina declined slightly towards the end of the season, his speed also decreased, but he still had the taste of overwhelming batters.
When Choi Ji-min brought up the story of his study abroad in Australia a year ago, he said, “I threw it here too.” KIA\'s spring camp site, Narrabunda Ball Park, is also the home stadium of the Australian professional baseball team, Canberra Cavalry. For Choi Ji-min, it is a time to receive good energy again in Australia, the ‘promised land’.
Choi Ji-min is practically the most calculated card among KIA\'s left-handed bullpens this season and is a setup man who can play both left and right hitters. His unique slider, paired with his fastball, is confident enough to stick deep into the body of his right-handed hitter.
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