*This content was translated by AI.
Kiwoom Heroes ace Ahn Woo-jin (27), who is aiming to return to the team in the first half of the 2026 season, expressed his expectations with encouragement to Park Joon-hyun (19), the team's "future" and the No. 1 overall draft rookie of the 2026 rookie draft.
Ahn Woo-jin was asked about Park Joon-hyun, who will play an active role with reporters at Incheon International Airport on the 22nd before leaving the Kaohsiung Spring Camp in Taiwan. Park Joon-hyun is a player who was nominated by Kiwoom as the No. 1 overall player in the 2026 KBO League Rookie Draft and is considered to have many similarities with Ahn Woo-jin in many ways. Above all, the pitching style of hitting with a fast ball is similar, drawing a lot of expectations.
After nodding his head, Ahn Woo-jin said, "I haven't seen (Park Jun-hyun) throwing properly yet," but added, "I think there will be expectations from the team as it has been nominated as the No. 1 overall." In particular, it is the 2026 spring camp that is most important to the two. Ahn Woo-jin is the first spring camp after serving in the military for the last time in the 2023 season, and Park Joon-hyun is also the first professional first-team spring camp.
Regarding his current physical condition, Ahn Woo-jin said, "I'm throwing the ball right now. I've finished about 30m long tosses now, and I'm going to go to a warm campsite and try to increase the distance a little bit more. I plan to pitch as early as possible in the camp, but I haven't talked to the club yet. I'm thinking of pitching after discussion. It is difficult to tell you the exact timing of the return because you have to talk to the training part. But I'm thinking within the first half of the year. "Still, I threw up to 30m, but there is no pain, and the range of motion is coming out well, so I think it's a good situation," he explained.
He also expressed his willingness to quickly contribute to the team's power with the team's permission. Ahn Woo-jin said, "I also want to return quickly and help the team. In fact, I'm most concerned because I shouldn't have pain in the process of making my body. Still, since the shoulder is injured due to an external impact, it is okay to turn the joint or something. I think we need to take good care of the collarbone, he stressed. According to head coach Seol Jong-jin, the Kiwoom team sees Ahn Woo-jin's return from late May to early June. In the end, physical condition is the key.
Ahn Woo-jin will receive an annual salary of 480 million won, which he received in the 2023 season, in the 2026 season as well. Although he was unable to take the mound in the first division due to injury, Kiwoom usually froze his salary just before joining the army. In response, Ahn Woo-jin said, "Thank you so much for allowing us to leave together even in such a warm country. I will train with the players and help them a lot in the camp," he said.
Finally, Ahn Woo-jin said, "I finished last season at the bottom, but there is no place to go further down now. If you've been at the bottom for three years, you'll think that all the players should do it together this time. The goal is to reach the top five, and I want to play fall baseball once again. I will prepare hard first to have fun playing fall baseball with the players," he vowed.
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*This content was translated by AI.
