'Once 157km' LG Pilseungjo to study in the U.S. at his own expense → ERA 20.25 'Step in the same place for the third year' Will this year be different

*This content was translated by AI.

There is one player who desperately wants the LG Twins to rebound, which is trying to win its second consecutive Korean Series title.

This is Jung Woo-young (27) of the national right-hander sidearm. Jung Woo-young received the KBO Rookie of the Year award with a 3.72 ERA with 4 wins, 6 losses, 1 save, and 16 holds in 56 games in 2021, his first year as a member of the team. In 2021, his third year, he did not allow a single home run in 65 innings and dominated the league with a 2.22 ERA of 7-3 with 2 saves and 27 holds in 70 games. In 2022, he won the KBO hold king with 35 holds, drawing attention from Major League Baseball (ML).

The desire to develop further became rather poisonous. I tried adding pitches to get out of the two-seam fastball one pattern. He also made great efforts to fix the slide step, which is pointed out as a chronic weakness of sidearm. However, it went downhill after the 2022 season, leading to a drop in speed and frequent injuries.

Last year, he even went to the Tread Athletic Center, a famous training center in the U.S., to study abroad at his own expense. As a result, he seemed to have found a clue by raising his maximum speed to 148 kilometers per hour during the Arizona Spring Camp in the U.S.

Expectations were also brief, and Jung Woo-young showed disappointment by throwing seven balls in a row at an exhibition game in March last year. Regarding this, LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said at the exhibition game, "If you don't get arrested, you have to fill in the details whether you add a breaking ball or improve your ball control. "Because the strength of (restraint) has disappeared, I have to fill it with something else to make a good pitcher, but I can't see that yet."

In the end, Jung Woo-young did not even make the opening entry and became an out-of-the-box player with a 20.25 ERA in four first-team games (two ⅔ innings).

Despite years of sluggishness, Jung Woo-young is still a player in LG's 2026 plan. One of the reasons why LG, which won its fourth integrated championship (No. 1 in the regular season + Korean Series) last year, failed to confirm the No. 1 spot on its own even after the final regular league game.

The bullpen was the least accomplished place in manager Yeom Kyung-yeop's pre-season plan. Coach Yeom even set up a plan C in preparation for the closing pitcher Yoo Young-chan and left-hander Pil Seung-jo Ham Deok-ju not to return until June due to surgery. Jang Hyun-sik and Kim Kang-ryul, who hoped to hold out until they returned, all left due to injuries even before the first half ended. Left-hander Choi Ji-myung and right-hander sidearm Shim Chang-min, who expected a rebound, were even difficult to see in the first team. Ham Deok-ju and Yoo Young-chan, who returned, also did not perform as well as expected, and rebuilding the 2026 must-win group became the first task.

Jung Woo-young is considered a player who can solve LG's problems at once if he rebounds. Even if he can consistently throw a two-seam fastball more than 150 kilometers per hour, which was his main weapon right now, he can take responsibility for one inning. At the time of 2022, a Major League scout told Star News, "Jung Woo-young's two-seam fastball falls very sharply and bends a lot. The speed is about 94 miles (about 151 kilometers). It is not easy to hit this ball in the KBO league," he said.

Knowing that, LG and the head coach also trust Jung Woo-young once again and wait. Asked about Jung Woo-young's poor performance throughout last season, Yeom reiterated, "Jung Woo-young is the player we should use after all." The reason for that is, "There are not many players in our team who have that kind of experience. He is still young, so he can find his own and grow up again. In the end, all we can do is give the player time and wait. It's important to do well consistently. That's why I'll continue to give you opportunities," he once said.

Will the national team's sidearm, which has been in place for three years, be able to get out of the tunnel of a long slump by living up to the trust of the head coach.

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*This content was translated by AI.