A Study in the U.S. with 'Kick Changeup' and 'NC Kim Nok-won' learned a new main weapon" The competition for selection is on fire

*This content was translated by AI.

The NC Dinos, who are holding a spring camp in Arizona, USA, are taking time to check the growth of players who have previously studied in the United States for a short period of time. In particular, Kim Nok-won (23) raises expectations by adding new pitches.

NC left for Tucson, Arizona, USA, on the 24th of last month and spent the third turn of training every three days. In particular, this turn confirmed the growth of players who have been to Tread Athletics, which has an advanced pitching training system since the end of last season.

NC dispatched pitchers Kim Nok-won, Kim Tae-hoon and Lee Joon-hyuk to the Tread Athletics located in Charlotte, North Carolina, the U.S. from October 26 to November 24 last year (29 nights and 30 days) to help young pitchers grow and strengthen their capabilities.

Tread Athletics is a training academy that provides customized programs for pitchers and is used by several professional groups, including Major League Baseball (MLB) players. The three players worked with local professional coaches on customized programs to improve pitching mechanisms, strengthen restraint and pitch, and prevent injury.

Kim Nok-won, who debuted last year after being selected as a third-rounder in the 2022 rookie draft, steadily gained opportunities as a starter. He was a little disappointed with 3 wins and 4 losses and 6.56 ERA in 21 games, and immediately went to study in the U.S. without a break after the season.

According to the club, Kim Nok-won said, "During the training period, we focused on pitch tunnels between pitches. "Based on this, I can think about how to choose the next pitch type according to the situation," he said. "Personally, I set my goal to establish a routine to use this season, and now I have time to settle that routine during camp."

I got a new weapon and came back. This achievement was confirmed through bullpen pitching on the 4th. Kim Nok-won said, "Tread Athletics has learned a new main weapon. Previously, I thought circle change-up was my main weapon, but I was worried about being attacked by hitters than expected, he said. "I learned kick change-up there anew, and I continue to refine it during the camp."

"Kim Nok-won has improved a lot in the overall area, especially in terms of pitch composition and pitching design," QC coach Lee Yong-hoon said, while pitcher coach Kim Kyung-tae said, "Kim Nok-won has learned the kick change-up, and the value of the pitch is gradually improving," adding, "The curve has also improved significantly as some of the pitching methods have been adjusted." Looking at the overall trend, Kim Nok-won said, "I expect to be able to show good enough performance in the selection competition."

NC's two foreign pitchers, Asian quarter Toda Natsuki, Koo Chang-mo and Shin Min-hyuk, and manager Lee Ho-joon are also putting chances on former soldier Jung Koo-beom. Kim Nok-won is also an indispensable candidate here. Expectations are high on whether the new pitch will help in the selection competition.

Kim Tae-hoon worked hard to stabilize the balance. At the same time, his speed has improved. "Before visiting Tread Athletics, there was a difference between throwing a fastball and throwing a breaking ball," Kim Tae-hoon said. "When throwing a breaking ball, I received feedback to throw it harder than a fastball, and applied it, but the speed improved and various data indicators came out positively."

"At the moment, I'm dealing with sliders and folk balls, and I'm trying to make my two-pitch sliders more definitely mine during camp. "Thanks to the fact that I've been managing my physical condition according to my schedule, I'm in good condition, and I feel like my body is coming up quickly when pitching," he said, expressing confidence.

Pitcher coach Kim Kyung-tae said, "Kim Tae-hoon seems to be currently in the process of finding his balance," and QC coach Lee Yong-hoon also expressed expectations, saying, "Even though he is young, he has excellent physical strength and fast average speed, so he has a very high growth potential."

Lee Joon-hyuk improved the completeness of the pitch along with a smarter way to pitch. He said, "I learned how important things are to do consistently every day. In particular, since I can't pour 100% every day, I learned to distinguish between when to strengthen my body and when to focus on recovery during the offseason, he said. "Currently, the camp is also training by applying this part, and thanks to that, I'm in good shape enough to go to the game right now."

He also said, "I used to throw four-seam, curve, slider, and change-up, but I felt that four-seam was not enough to overcome batters. In Tread Athletics, we changed the four-seam to two-seam through coordination with coach Lee Yong-hoon QC and local coaches, he said. "We also boldly excluded the weakest pitch because we judged that it was a change-up, and decided to throw sliders separately in longitudinal and horizontal directions instead. We are constantly preparing for this part from the off-season to the present," he added.

QC coach Lee Yong-hoon expressed satisfaction, saying, "Lee Joon-hyuk is also building a new pitching design by clearly grasping his pitching type and strengths," while pitcher coach Kim Kyung-tae also returned after intensively honing his pitching design and pitch type. In the first pitching, he was a little disappointed due to the jet lag, but he has been showing good performance from the second pitching," he said.

Meanwhile, Matt Davidson, who turned his character T-shirt to the team earlier, turned his coffee to the team ahead of training on the 3rd and volunteered for night training.

Davison said: "Team members are having a tough training session in camp. It's nothing special, but I wanted to give good energy to my team members with a cup of cold coffee, he said. "I hope we can all cheer up for the rest of the camp and make good results together this season."

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*This content was translated by AI.