Sweet cutie debut season, need some time to get solid!
Sweet cutie debut season, need some time to get solid!
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promising left-handed pitcher Hwang Joon-seo (19) of the Hanwha Eagles made a splendid debut this year. He started the game against Daejeon KT on March 31, and led his team to a 14-3 complete victory with three hits (one homer) and two strikeouts, five strikeouts, and one run in five innings. As a Hanwha player, he is a high school graduate who won his debut game starting title for the first time in 18 years since Ryu Hyun-jin in 2006.
Hwang Jun-seo wore the Hanwha uniform as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 KBO Rookie Draft. In recognition of his potential, he competed with the spring camp for five starters in exhibition games. Although he was not in the opening entry, he was evaluated as the No. 1 replacement starter. Kim Min-woo was called out by the first team as he left due to symptoms of gall, and Hwang Jun-seo took the opportunity with guts.
As Kim Min-woo was out for the season due to elbow injury, Hwang took the fifth starting pitcher position. However, as his physical stamina deteriorated, his ball speed gradually declined, and his main weapon, folk ball, became dull. Hwang, who started until June, moved to the bullpen and was used as an intermediate pitcher. In 36 games (11 starts) this season, Hwang had two wins, eight losses and one hold average of 5.38 per average.
Hwang pitched 72 innings this year, moving between starting pitchers and bullpen in the first division. He pitched longer innings in the rookie season than Moon Dong-ju (28.2 innings), who joined the Hanwha Eagles through the first designation in 2022, and Kim Seo-hyun (22.1 innings), who ranked first overall in 2023. He is positive that he has had diverse experiences since his first year as a pro. However, due to circumstances of the team, he has been utilized in the first division faster than expected.
Hanwha had difficulty in rotating its starting pitchers as foreign pitchers such as Felix Peña and Ricardo Sanchez, as well as Kim Min-woo, all left due to injuries in the first half of the year. High school graduates including Hwang Joon-seo and Cho Dong-wook have filled the gap that suddenly appeared. Hwang played many games as bullpen pitcher due to sluggishness in his only left-handed winning team, Kim Bum-soo. As a result, Hwang failed to establish himself as either a starter or a bullpen pitcher.
Hwang will likely be given "time for growth" in 2025. Hanwha has beefed up its starting lineup by recruiting Um Sang-baek as a free agent this winter. Injured players including Kim Min-woo and "All Weather" Lee Tae-yang will also return to the mound next season. Chances are high that the mound depth will be stronger than this year. Young pitchers will also be able to take the mound more prepared. 토토사이트
Hwang Jun-seo, who started his debut season, was given assignments to build up his strength and physical stamina. Starting this winter, he will gradually make up for his weaknesses. "Basically, he needs to gain more strength. Even if it takes some time, I think we need to look further and work on making him the main player of the team," Hanwha pitching coach Yang Sang-moon said. "I will not put too much pressure on young players yet."