Will a 'Second Kim Jin-wook' Emerge? LG, Failing to Clinch Back-to-Back KS Titles, Moves Immediately! Four Pitchers Including Kim Yun-sik and Yang Woo-jin Sent to Japan's NEXT BASE for First Time

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The LG Twins, whose bid for back-to-back Korea Series (KS) titles ended in the Junior Playoffs (Junior PO), immediately begin preparations for the 2027 season. The first step is sending promising pitchers to study in Japan.

LG announced, "From October 23 to November 3, a 12-day period, four pitchers—Kim Yun-sik (26), Jo Won-tae (23), Lee Sang-young (26), and Yang Woo-jin (19)—along with Futures Pitching Director Choi Sang-deok (55) and Futures Conditioning Director Coach Lee Gwon-yeop, will travel to 'NEXT BASE ATHLETES LAB' located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan."

This is the first time LG has sent players to NEXT BASE. NEXT BASE is one of the most notable overseas sports science facilities in this year's KBO League. Located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, it uses state-of-the-art biomechanics equipment to precisely analyze pitching mechanics and body data, then presents training directions tailored to each player's characteristics. Its feature is not merely filming pitching form, but subdividing body movements from the toes to the muscles around the shoulders to identify the causes of problems arising during the pitching process.

Its utilization in the KBO League has also increased rapidly recently. Lotte, KIA, Hanwha, and SSG have successively sent pitchers there, applying customized programs for improving pitching mechanics, control, and velocity. This year, Lotte's Kim Jin-wook (24), KIA's Lee Yi-ri (24), and Hanwha's Kim Seo-hyun (22) checked their pitching mechanics at the facility.

The four players chosen by LG each have clear tasks. Kim Yun-sik, who has the most first division experience among them, needs a resurgence. Kim is a left-handed pitcher who joined LG as the third overall pick in the second round of the 2020 KBO Rookie Draft and has already experienced both starting and bullpen roles in the first division. In 2022, he recorded an 8-5 record with a 3.31 ERA in 23 games, and in 2023, he posted a 6-4 record with a 4.22 ERA in 17 games, contributing to LG's unified championship. In the fourth game of that year's Korea Series, he earned the win by allowing one run over 5⅔ innings.

He returned in April this year after completing his social service duty, but could not have a season as expected. Kim recorded a 1-0 record with five holds and a 6.11 ERA over 35⅓ innings in 31 first division games. He had 27 walks against 33 hits allowed, and his WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) was 1.70. During the season, he moved between starting and bullpen roles, struggling to find a consistent balance. In the Futures League, he recorded a 1-0 record with a 3.00 ERA over 12 innings in five games.

Jo Won-tae is also seeking another breakthrough. A left-handed pitcher who graduated from Sunlin Internet High School and was selected by LG as the first overall pick in 2022, he has consistently been expected to be a promising starter. This year, he managed only six games and 6⅔ innings with a 10.80 ERA in the first division, but in the Futures League, he consistently rotated as a starter. He pitched 71 innings in 18 games, recording a 6-4 record, a 4.31 ERA, and 72 strikeouts.

The other left-hander, Lee Sang-young, graduated from Busan High School and joined LG as the fifth overall pick in the second round of the 2019 Rookie Draft. Having completed his military service at the National COLONY Corps (Army), he has long been expected to be a starting candidate with a large frame standing 193 cm tall. This year, he stayed at eight games and 11⅔ innings with a 1-0 record and an 8.49 ERA in the first division. Instead, in the Futures League, he pitched 73⅓ innings in 16 games, recording a 4-4 record and a 4.54 ERA.

The youngest, Yang Woo-jin, is a prospect LG is particularly investing in. A graduate of Gyeonggi Aviation High School, he was selected eighth overall in the first round of the 2026 Rookie Draft. He attracted early attention for his 190 cm and 98 kg frame and fast pitches, but his start was delayed due to a stress fracture during high school followed by a rehabilitation process after joining the pros.

Nevertheless, he gained experience by being called up to the first division for the first time in the latter half of the season. In the first division, he recorded a 7.36 ERA over 3⅔ innings in four games, and in the Futures League, he left a mark with a 1-0 record, two holds, and a 2.31 ERA over 11⅔ innings in 10 games. LG called up Yang Woo-jin during the expanded roster period, placing significance on the process of gaining first division experience rather than results.

For LG, all four pitchers are resources that must thicken the depth of the 2027 season mound. Kim Yun-sik and Lee Sang-young have already accumulated starting experience in the first division, and Jo Won-tae has handled the starting rotation in the Futures League. Yang Woo-jin is a first-round pick who must grow into a pillar of the future starting lineup.

LG, which won the unified championship last year, challenged for back-to-back KS titles this season but settled for fourth place with a regular season record of 78 wins, one draw, and 65 losses (winning percentage 0.545). They defeated Doosan in the Wild Card Decider, but were eliminated in the Junior PO after losing all three games to the KIA Tigers without winning a single match.

They scored only five runs in three games, and suffered a 1-13 blowout loss in the final third game, bringing an end to the club's first-ever attempt at back-to-back Korea Series championships. After the season ended, Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop (58) stated, "We will prepare for the parts that were lacking this season starting from the closing training," and LG immediately made changes to pitcher development.

The LG club plans to improve players' pitching mechanics and pitching quality through this dispatch, while also having the coaching staff directly acquire data-based training methods to utilize in future player development.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original