SSG Landers’ Choi Min-jun (25) is determined to reach 20 holds in his debut.
Choi Min-jun departed for Vero Beach, Florida, USA, for spring training via Incheon International Airport on March 25.
After joining SK (now SSG) in the second round (15th overall) of the 2018 rookie draft, Choi struggled in his first three years. However, he showed promise in 2021, going 3-3 with a 5.86 ERA in 38 games (86 innings), and began to establish himself as a key bullpen resource in the first team.
After going 5-4 with a 3.95 ERA in 51 games (68⅓ innings) in 2022, Choi was expected to be the closer last year, but he faltered a bit, going 5-3 with a 4.20 ERA in 53 games (60 innings) with seven saves and one save. In the first half of the year, he was 29-4 with a 3.09 ERA in 35 games, but he was unable to pick up the pace after his injury and finished with a 5.76 ERA in 24 games (25 innings).
“In the end, I think I didn’t take good care of my body,” said Choi, who lamented, “I gained a lot of confidence because it went well in the beginning. However, 안전놀이터 I also realized that I can’t be good all the time as I went through difficult situations. I feel like I got better after receiving advice from my seniors. ‘Baseball doesn’t always go as you think. No matter how good you throw the ball, the outcome can be bad. Don’t get caught up in the outcome,'” he said. This year, I’m going to focus on keeping a good pace,” he said of last season.
SSG was disappointed with Young-gun’s performance in the bullpen last year.
The team’s top two holders were Noh Kyung-eun (30 holds) and Go Hyo-joon (13 holds), who will turn 40 this year. Noh ranked second in the league in holds, while Ko showed off his seniority by playing in 73 matches, more than half of the 144 regular season matches.
Coach Lee said, “Rest for senior players and motivation for younger players are the keywords of this year’s camp. I’ve played until I was 41, but taking care of my body and giving it a rest will help me play 144 games. 안전한 파워볼사이트 I’m not going to rest them artificially. I’m always talking to them, communicating with them and trying to accommodate them as much as possible in the direction they want to go. I think they deserve that much respect,” he said, adding that he plans to use younger players this year. The plan is only possible if the young players perform well.
Choi Min-jun said, “I thought he was really great. I feel tired after throwing more than 50 games, but the seniors keep going and throw at a better pace than me. I wonder how they can do that, and it’s amazing. It also makes me want to do better. This year, I’m going to try to be a little more greedy,” he said.
“This year, I’m going to focus more on my delivery than my fastball,” said Choi Min-jun. “Last year, I focused a lot on my delivery. This year, I’m thinking about making my pitches more sophisticated, even if it means lowering my fastball a bit. Last year, I did a lot of exercises to increase my power, but this year, I did a lot of calisthenics to improve my mobility and use my body better,” he said, explaining his preparation for the season.
Choi, whose seven holds last year were his personal single-season record, said, “This year, I want to get more than 20 holds, and I want to finish with an ERA in the mid-3s. I don’t know what the outcome will be, but I will work hard to achieve these numbers,” he said.