'Must save him' Kim Kyung-moon manager's three chances, "Starting pitcher is my dream" Jung Woo-ju's key takeaways: 'Control and confidence'

*This content was translated by AI.

There is no disagreement about his potential. It has been proven that he has no issues with the physical conditioning required of a starting pitcher. To establish himself as the starting pitcher he has dreamed of since his debut, he must earn his place through three direct opportunities. Jung Woo-ju (20, Hanwha Eagles) returns to the mound with these tasks in mind.

Jung Woo-ju is scheduled to make his next start against the Kiwoom Heroes at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome on the 14th in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League away game.

This season, he has appeared in 18 games exclusively out of the bullpen, recording five holds without a win or loss, but struggled with an ERA of 6.75. Consequently, Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon (68) decided to utilize him as a starting pitcher.

Park Jun-young (24), who joined as a development player and posted dominant statistics in the Futures League before earning a chance in the first division, pitched five scoreless innings against the LG Twins on the 10th to secure a victory. However, manager Kim Kyung-moon looked to Jung Woo-ju first. It is inevitable that expectations for Jung Woo-ju are higher. He was selected second overall in last year's draft and signed with Hanwha as a top-tier high school pitcher with a signing bonus of 500 million won.

Of course, it is not immediately easy to accept that Jung Woo-ju is being given a de facto starting pitcher training session in the first division instead of Park Jun-young, who has already demonstrated good results. Nevertheless, the manager's thinking remains firm. "I think we will give (Jung) Woo-ju the opportunity first," he said, adding, "After watching him pitch about three times, we will then discuss it with the pitching coach."

Even at the end of last season, he was given two chances as a starter and showed potential, but ultimately was used only as a stopgap. He started this season in the relief corps but could not avoid struggles, prompting manager Kim to decide to give him a chance as a starter.

However, in his first start of the season against the KIA Tigers on the 7th, Jung Woo-ju threw 49 pitches over 1⅔ innings, allowing one hit, four walks, and two strikeouts before being pulled after surrendering two runs.

The limitations of his monotonous repertoire became apparent. In the first inning, he threw 14 pitches, 11 of which were fastballs, and he cleanly retired the side in order. However, the second inning presented a completely different scenario.

After issuing a walk to Kim Do-young on a fastball, he struck out Adellin Rodriguez with a powerful fastball battle and a swing-and-miss. However, he allowed a two-run single to Na Sung-bum with a 155 km/h fastball and issued a walk to Han Seung-yeon. With two outs and runners on first and second, he lost an 11-pitch battle with Park Min, issuing a walk that resulted in a run via a bases-loaded walk.

Despite throwing his terrifying mid-150 km/h fastball, he mixed in sliders, and the two-pitch approach gradually became familiar to the KIA batters. Park Min fouled off the ball five times, and Jung Woo-ju's final pitch missed significantly, resulting in a walk.

Did he think his monotonous pitching pattern was not working? Jung Woo-ju was unable to throw a single strike to Park Jae-hyun, whom he had easily retired in the first inning, before issuing another bases-loaded walk and surrendering his second run, after which he was pulled. It was fortunate that Yoon San-heum, who took over with the bases loaded and two outs, got Jered Dayle to hit a ground ball, but more runs could have scored.

Of the 49th pitches, 38 were fastballs and 11 were sliders. Unlike when he appeared in the bullpen, where he typically pitched one inning, the KIA batters had indirectly familiarized themselves with his pitching from the on-deck circle and the dugout, leading to his early removal.

Changing roles midway through the season is confusing for a pitcher. This is especially true for a second-year pitcher.

However, Jung Woo-ju has also nurtured his dream of becoming a starting pitcher and will not want to miss this opportunity. At the 2024 Futures Star Awards ceremony, while stating that "being a starting pitcher is my dream," he also said, "I think our team might have the best starting rotation in the country. I want to be part of that. But if I say I want to be in it from my first year, that would be greedy. I will prepare by gaining experience step by step from the bullpen."

Just as last year, he has been given another chance. To avoid repeating a failure, there are things he must keep in mind: control, confidence, and pitch selection. However, suddenly adding new pitches is not an easy task. Although Jung Woo-ju can also throw a curveball, he chose not to throw it during his first start, judging it to be difficult for himself.

In the end, he has no choice but to compete through control and confidence. Jung Woo-ju's fastball is an incredible weapon that is difficult to attack even when known. If his control becomes somewhat stable, he can effectively mix in sliders based on that and have plenty of room to succeed.

The fact that he has been guaranteed three chances is also a reason he can remain relaxed. Rather than feeling the burden of trying to pitch too well right away, he needs to approach the game with a slightly more relaxed mindset.

It is not easy to expect much from a second-year pitcher, especially in an unfamiliar starting pitcher role. This is even more so given the limitations in his pitch selection.

Nevertheless, it is true that expectations are high because he is a pitcher with exceptional potential. There is keen interest in whether Jung Woo-ju, who has been experiencing severe struggles early this season, can find his rhythm by pitching with a long duration as a starting pitcher, or if the result will only exacerbate the confusion.

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*This content was translated by AI.