'5kg gain → life weight' Hanwha Hwang Jun-seo and 'Jeong Woo-joo's slider' are also prepared. "I'm also looking forward to this season." [Daejeon site]

*This content was translated by AI.

"I'm also looking forward to this season."

I said three times. Hwang Joon-seo (21, Hanwha Eagles), who was nominated by Hanwha Eagles with high expectations as the No. 1 overall pick, expressed extraordinary expectations for his third professional season.

Hwang Joon-seo told Star News ahead of the fan-invited "Kalguksu Fan Meeting" held at a kalguksu restaurant near Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 16th, "Only the detailed indicators improved a little last year, but I was so disappointed because it was almost similar to the first season," adding, "In this off-season, my slider has improved a lot since the closing camp and I've gained a lot of weight under coach Lee Ji-poong, so I'm looking forward to this season."

Hwang Jun-seo, a former Jangchung High School student, was considered the most promising prospect to win the Star Award at the 2023 Future Star Awards hosted by Star News and wore a Hanwha uniform as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 rookie draft.

However, in 36 games in the first season, he recorded 2-8-1 hold, 5.38 ERA, 2-8 ERA, and 5.30 ERA the following year. The number of walks decreased significantly from 51 to 26, but it was difficult to give much meaning. The common point was that it collapsed sharply in the second half compared to the first half. In 2024, it showed a completely different appearance from ERA 4.77 in the first half to 7.27 in the second half, and from 3.15 in the first half of last year to 8.72 in the second half.

The issue of physical strength has been raised. At the same time, concerns about Hwang Joon-seo's skinny body continued. The problem may be that the goal was to increase the amount, but it did not go as expected.

I gained weight hard during the offseason. Hwang Jun-seo said, "I think I gained about 5kg. This is the highest weight. Eating protein every time I worked out helped me a lot. "I gained weight because I ate three or four times a day while exercising," he said. "It's good that I can't hear 'I can't do it because of my weight' anymore." I'm going to continue to gain weight even when I go to Australia," he said.

There was a separate problem that Hwang Jun-seo diagnosed. It was a monotonous pitching pattern. He used a fastball in the mid-to-late 140km/h and a fork ball, which is rare for left-handed pitchers, as his main weapon and mixed curves, but in the second half, he tended to get used to the eyes of opposing batters. That's why I chose the slider.

The source is Jung Woo-ju, his junior. Hwang Jun-seo said, "I've changed my grip while throwing a lot. I don't know if (Jung) Woo-ju will remember, but it worked well when I grabbed the grip of Woo-ju and threw it," he said.

Senior Moon Dong-ju was named in the first round, and Kim Seo-hyun was the No. 1 overall pick in the first season and suffered from difficulties in the first season, but he grew brilliantly in the second year. On the other hand, Hwang Joon-seo had difficulties in his second year, while rookie Jung Woo-joo, who joined as the second overall player last year, has also been on the national team with impressive performances from the first season.

It is also a kind of stimulant for Hwang Jun-seo. "I thought I was good at it a lot. (Cho)Dong-wook also did well, so I thought a lot, "I just need to do well," he said. "Now that it's the third season, I think it's time to show it without being treated like a child."

Eventually find the answer on the slider. "I think we need to throw it quickly in the mound as well. The older brothers who analyze power are also looking forward to it. He expressed confidence, saying, "He took care of me, so I think I'll improve quickly."

He will leave for Australia (first camp) on the 23rd to build a more solid body. Hwang Jun-seo, who had a meaningful meeting with his fans before entering full-fledged season preparations, left a final word to the fans who cheered for him. "I'll work hard and make a lot of things that haven't gone well, so I'll come back to my body that I can show from the exhibition game," he promised.

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*This content was translated by AI.