"I learned baseball very well." A smile appears whenever Kim Min-jun is seen, and he has also equipped the "Avila-style slider," becoming a dark horse for Rookie of the Year.

*This content was translated by AI.

Last year's third-place team, the SSG Landers, plummeted to ninth place. If one were to identify a single issue, it would be the severe underperformance of their starting rotation. However, the atmosphere has completely shifted in the second half. All starting pitchers have been able to shoulder at least five innings, and all five victories were earned by starters. At the center of this turnaround is top rookie Kim Min-jun (20).

Kim Min-jun is scheduled to make his first start in a home game against the Doosan Bears at the Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 29th as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

Kim Min-jun, who delivered the best performance at Daegu in the previous year and won the grand prize at the StarNews Futures Star Awards hosted by StarNews, joined SSG after being selected fifth overall in the first round and was quickly designated as a member of the starting rotation. However, due to an injury, he could not return until June. With the team's morale having hit rock bottom, he faced the challenge of turning things around and delivered pitching that met expectations.

He has pitched 31 and two-thirds innings in seven games, recording three wins and two losses with an ERA of 4.55. As a rookie, he was pulled early in two games where he allowed five runs, but his slump did not last long, and he has already secured three victories for the team. He holds the second-most wins among the starting pitchers, trailing only Kim Geon-woo (seven wins). This is an achievement accomplished in just seven games.

The day after securing his third win of the season, on the 24th, he personally delivered 100 snack boxes to his teammates and coaching staff before the game to express his gratitude. The thoughtful snack boxes were generously filled with pies and adorable "baseball-shaped rice cakes."

Manager Lee Sung-yong smiles whenever he thinks of Kim Min-jun. "He is even better than I imagined when I first saw him," he said, adding, "Judging by his attitude toward baseball, his demeanor on the mound, and other basic manners, I believe he has learned the game very well." He continued, "Personally, I feel that his parents have done an excellent job in raising him. It seems he possesses the qualities to grow further and eventually become our team's native ace. The most important thing is how well he can prepare without getting injured. We have received a good resource. It is my role and that of the coaching staff to ensure this resource performs well without being overworked." He praised him as "a fine raw stone."

Although failures are inevitable, he is quickly making corrections and delivering improved pitching. On the 17th against the KIA Tigers, he collapsed after just two innings, allowing four hits (including one home run), issuing four walks/strikeouts, and surrendering five runs. However, on the 23rd against the Lotte Giants, he delivered a scoreless performance over six innings with only two hits allowed, four walks/strikeouts, and five strikeouts, securing his third win.

Kim Min-jun, speaking with StarNews, said, "I think I got too anxious and lost my balance. Feeling frustrated on the mound, I tried to throw harder, which only made things worse." He added, "It didn't go well against KIA in our second meeting, and since this was also our second time facing Lotte, I thought we couldn't show the same performance again."

It was not just a change in mindset. He regained his wavering balance and equipped himself with new weapons. Kim Min-jun said, "I have weaknesses against left-handed batters and in scoring positions. Since I only have the splitter as a pitch to deceive batters, I am practicing extensively to improve my slider." Pedro Avila, a new face anchoring the starting rotation, provided help. "I asked Avila about his slider. He told me to hold the grip with my thumb positioned like a fastball. After following that advice, my velocity increased by 2-3 km/h and the angle became similar to a cutter. It has become a slider that makes batters swing as if it were a fastball, resulting in weak contact," he explained.

Adaptation to the automatic strike zone judgment system (ABS) is nearly complete. Kim Min-jun said, "I tried it in high school too, and the left-right boundaries are a bit narrow," but also expressed confidence by adding, "I have almost fully adapted."

In the current atmosphere, he is one of the most anticipated pitchers in the starting rotation alongside Avila. He feels no burden. Kim Min-jun said boldly, "When a losing streak extends or we need to string together wins, if I am the starter, I feel it's my duty to break that streak. At first, it was a bit burdensome, but not anymore."

Although the season started late, if he continues his current performance, he could become a dark horse in the Rookie of the Year race. Kim Min-jun said, "I am thinking of at least five wins, with a high point of seven wins, and I want to try," while also prioritizing the team. He stated, "First and foremost, my biggest goal is to help the team keep winning."

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*This content was translated by AI.