*This content was translated by AI.
LG Twins rookie Yang Woo-jin (18), who was frustrated to join the spring camp due to rehabilitation, looked forward to the 2026 season with a bright expression.
Yang Woo-jin said ahead of the 2026 KBO rookie orientation at the Daejeon Convention Center on the 14th, "I didn't think it was a pity that I couldn't go to spring camp. I just thought that I should slowly prepare well and make my body well," he said.
Earlier on the 22nd and 23rd, LG announced the list of Arizona camp in the U.S. divided into the first and second rounds. There are 33 people, excluding Oh Ji-hwan, Lim Chan-kyu, Lee Jung-yong, Kim Young-woo, Lee Joo-heon, and Yoo Hyun-hyun, who left the country on the 12th. Yang Woo-jin was originally scheduled to join the Arizona Spring camp in the U.S. After winning the Korean Series last year, LG coach Yeom Kyung-yeop announced his intention to take Yang Woo-jin, Junsung Park and Kim Dong-hyun to the first-tier spring camp. Right-hander Yang Woo-jin is the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2026 KBO Rookie Draft, left-hander Junsung Park (18) is the 18th overall pick in the second round, and right-hander Kim Dong-hyun (21) is the 108th overall pick in the 11th round.
However, after careful discussion, Yang Woo-jin performed a simple right elbow surgery to prevent further fractures and decided to rehabilitate in Korea. Yang Woo-jin responded, "Training coach Kim Yong-il told me to operate and start safely and anew. Now I'm starting to throw the ball and playing a 30m catch. It depends on the situation, but I think I can return early this season."
Woo Myung-hyun (19), who joined the team in a similar position, is less lonely. At the time of the nomination, the LG Scouts introduced, "Woo Myung-hyun is a pitcher who uses a fast fastball with a high RBI and a sharp breaking ball with a good pitching mechanism with 192cm height and 103kg weight." Woo Myung-hyun, who has been famous for his fastballs since middle school, played only 21 innings due to an arm injury for three years. Nevertheless, he is a rookie called LG's conversion pick by spraying fast balls up to 153 kilometers per hour. Currently, Yang Woo-jin and the rehabilitation team are preparing for the 2026 season.
Yang Woo-jin said, "I got very close with (Woo) Myung-hyun while working out in the rehabilitation team and sharing a room together. We are rehabilitating by saying that we will get better each other," he said.
Yang Woo-jin, a graduate of Gyeonggi Aviation High School, was once evaluated as possible as the first overall. Powerful fastballs with a maximum speed of 153km/h from a 190cm tall, 89kg weight are attractive, and fast delivery is also considered a strength. It was consistently called the top three along with Park Joon-hyun (18, Bukil High School) and Seo Do-jun (18, Jangchung High School). However, due to fatigue fracture in August last year, he was pushed to the 8th place by focusing only on rehabilitation in the second half of the year.
According to Cha Myung-seok and Baek Sung-jin, the scout team leader, who met at the rookie draft site, LG expected all five right-handers to escape from the eighth place. I was going to nominate an infielder, but when Yang Woo-jin slipped to the eighth place, I changed my decision. At the time, team leader Baek Sung-jin told Star News, "I couldn't miss Yang Woo-jin. I couldn't help it. The ball power is strong, and there is even a stamina to lead the inning. He explained the reason for the nomination, saying, "I have the qualifications to grow into a good starting pitcher."
There is also an analysis in the baseball community that it was a possible choice because LG had a thick pitching staff. Recently, LG has produced good pitchers such as Son Joo-young (28) and Song Seung-ki (24), but last year, even Kim Young-woo (21) participated in the rookie race, gaining confidence. Kim Young-woo's strength is a fast ball with a maximum speed of 156 kilometers per hour, but nine teams passed because he played only 31 ⅓ in 14 games in high school due to elbow ligament joint surgery (Tommy John Surgery). However, he never headed to the second division last year, but rather moved up to the must-win group in the second half of the year, contributing greatly to LG's integrated victory.
This is why LG brought Yang Woo-jin and Woo Myung-hyun despite the sensitive issue of fatigue fracture. Yang Woo-jin also wants to repay the club's faith. Yang Woo-jin said, "When I came to LG, I thought I had a really good environment because I could work out systematically, whether it's training or facilities," adding, "The final target speed is 160 kilometers per hour." "I want to throw it because it's a record that only a few people have done in Korea," he said with strength.
"When I go to the first team, I want to face KT Ahn Hyun-min, who did really well last year," he said. "When I think of LG Twins pitchers, I think of Lim Chan-kyu first. When I think of LG, I want to be a player like Lim Chan-kyu so that Yang Woo-jin can come to mind first," he said.
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*This content was translated by AI.
