"You can get batters out even without reaching 150 km/h." Data enthusiast 'Student Jun-hyuk' has a realization... The bullpen core NC waited for is growing [Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

'Student Jun-hyuk,' who was more sincere about data than anyone else, Lee Jun-hyuk (23, NC Dinos), has finally begun to understand how to effectively use his pitches after going through trial and error.

Lee Jun-hyuk graduated from Yongin Pogok Elementary School (Cheoin District Little League), Seongil Middle School, and Yulgyo High School before being selected by NC as the 10th overall pick in the second round of the 2022 KBO Rookie Draft. He is a right-handed pitcher who made his first-division debut last year after completing his mandatory military service.

He has been impressive since early this year. In five spring training games, he recorded an ERA of 0 over 5⅓ innings with no walks and nine strikeouts. Notably, he gained attention for utilizing the two-seam fastball (two-seamer) and sweeper learned at Tread Athletics, a specialized pitching academy in Charlotte, North Carolina, after last season ended. His ability to explain his pitches based on modern baseball theories and data also became a topic of discussion.

He also faced challenges. Through April, he maintained a 0.93 ERA over nine games, but in May, he struggled with a 7.50 ERA over seven innings, allowing nine walks and hit-by-pitches in just six innings. He eventually regrouped in the Futures League and made only four first-division appearances over three months until his return via an expanded roster at the end of August.

Recently, Lee Jun-hyuk met with StarNews in Changwon and calmly reflected: "There were times in May and June when my stats looked decent, but my WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) was high, and innings and walks/hit-by-pitches went together. It was really pitching that relied too much on luck."

What he gained from the Futures League was confidence in his own pitches. Lee Jun-hyuk said, "I also realized that I can't always be at 100% condition. Even if I'm not at 100%, as long as my movement is good, I gained the confidence and calmness to think, 'Even if I don't reach 150 km/h, I can still get batters out.' By being more composed and making deliberate choices about which pitch to throw and where to throw it, the results seem to come naturally."

In fact, after returning in September, he allowed just one walk and recorded eight strikeouts over six and a third innings in five games. His experience working through innings as part of the Futures League starting rotation from July also proved helpful. The game against Changwon LG Twins on the 15th was a prime example. Lee Jun-hyuk pitched two perfect innings with just 31 pitches from the sixth inning, striking out three batters. He induced a swinging strikeout from Moon Jung-bin (23) by throwing sliders and sweepers outside the zone. For Koo Bon-hyeok (29), he secured a favorable count with a 145 km/h two-seamer inside before inducing a groundout.

The duel against veteran Oh Ji-hwan (36) was particularly impressive. When Oh Ji-hwan struggled to react to Lee Jun-hyuk's outside two-seamers and sweepers, Lee Jun-hyuk threw sliders and two-seamers low, engaging in a full-count battle. He ultimately chose an outside two-seamer again to induce another swinging strikeout. In the eighth inning, he retired Lee Ju-heon (23) with a shortstop groundout before facing Hong Chang-ki (33). Hong Chang-ki also didn't fall for the outside bait pitch; Lee Jun-hyuk caught him with a slider and induced a looking strikeout with a high outside two-seamer. He then retired Shin Min-jae (30) with a second baseman groundout, handling six batters perfectly.

Lee Ho-jun (50), NC's Director, is closely watching Lee Jun-hyuk's transformation. He does not view him merely as a late-season option for this year. Manager Lee said, "Jun-hyuk will be a key player for our team next year. I thought that if he could perform well in the middle of the bullpen this season, it would significantly improve our relief corps. Next year, we must definitely establish 'the Lee Jun-hyuk card.'"

Lee Jun-hyuk noted that while adding a two-seamer didn't eliminate his desire for higher velocity, he still believes speed is important. He explained, "After all, since it's the same fastball, the faster it is, the more threatening it is to batters. However, the two-seamer stands out for its movement. Even if my velocity isn't perfect on a given day, I can think, 'Today, I can get batters out by effectively utilizing this movement.'"

The sweeper is no longer just a pitch that moves sideways. Lee Jun-hyuk said, "Now, I try to distinguish and throw it differently depending on the situation—whether it's an outside bait pitch like my seniors Kim Hyung-jun or Ahn Jung-yeol would use, or a backdoor pitch coming from the far side against left-handed batters. This approach has been working well consistently since last week's games. I finally feel like it fits my hand."

This mindset didn't develop overnight. Lee Jun-hyuk was already a studious student showing interest in sabermetrics and baseball data since his third year of middle school, which is why he earned the nickname 'Student Jun-hyuk.' He even searched for related materials during high school. He recalled, "The most memorable moment was when I first saw how my pitch moved using Rapsodo; it fascinated me."

He also sought out relevant articles and videos himself. Moving past the era where he believed only fastballs with high vertical movement were good, he expanded his thinking by encountering concepts like 'dead zone fastballs.' He even found Trevor Bauer's (35) personal YouTube channel, which featured MLB players, using translated subtitles and voice support. Lee Jun-hyuk laughed, saying, "I told Clevenger that I saw a video of Bauer working out with a microphone during the off-season on his YouTube channel, and he liked it."

NC's environment also aligned well with his tendencies. Lee Jun-hyuk said, "My interests matched the club's direction perfectly. Not only did our coaches provide answers whenever I asked questions, but the data team also made sure to share information and allow me access to it anytime. The overall atmosphere and culture seemed to suit me very well."

This is not just Lee Jun-hyuk's story. While he gained attention early in the season for his knowledge of data and modern pitching theories, making him seem uniquely inclined toward analytics, he emphasized that this is actually a natural culture among NC's young pitchers.

Lee Jun-hyuk explained, "Because of my interview at the start of the season, it may have seemed like I was the only one interested in data, but in reality, all the young bullpen pitchers at NC share this interest. Shin Young-woo is like that, and so are seniors Jeon Sa-min and Song Myung-gi. The entire pitching staff has a strong interest in these topics and engages in many discussions with each other."

When questions arise, he seeks answers from teammates and coaches. Foreign pitchers are no exception. Recently, while considering new weapons against left-handed batters, he asked Riley Thompson (30) about the required movement and velocity differences between splitters and changeups to make them effective. Lee Jun-hyuk said, "Whenever I have questions, I talk a lot with our coaches, and since Riley knows a lot about these aspects, I also seek his advice."

The 'Student Jun-hyuk,' who once dove deep into data, is now learning how to apply that knowledge on the first-division mound. Lee Jun-hyuk emphasized, "It's great just to play in first-division games. So, regardless of my role, my goal is to finish this season in the first division."

He added, "Every time I step onto the field for a first-division game, I feel a sense of responsibility. I have no desire for personal statistics; I'm too busy focusing on each game, each batter, and every single pitch. I believe that if I work hard from my position, the results will follow. For now, our biggest goal is to finish the season at a higher level as a team."

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*This content was translated by AI.