There is no doubt that he is talented. He is the candidate to hit the official speed of 160 kilometers per hour following Moon Dong-ju. Not only is a fast ball, but he has a unique sense of throwing the ball. He also has a strong desire to win. He has a tenacity to stand up again even if it keeps collapsing. This is the story of Kim Seo-hyun (20) of the Hanwha Eagles, who is entering his second professional season.
It has become the first season of pro baseball, which is not easy. He suffered trial and error due to difficulties in ball control, and continued to agonize over the position. When he recorded a save in the match against Munhak SSG on May 12 last year, he felt as if he would rise to a new must-win group for Hanwha. He has been boasting of his powerful ball power since his first year as a pro player, as he recorded the maximum speed of 160 kilometers per hour in tracking data of Hanwha teams.
However, he lost balance and control of pitches due to lackluster performance and worries. Eventually, he moved to the second division from mid-June. He returned to the main league once in August, but moved back to the second division. He started as a starter in order to enhance his pitching sense in the second division, but his first professional season ended without any rebound.
He did not let go of the ball. He got his bearings again in the closing camp. Head coach Choi Won-ho stepped up in person. “I asked Seo-hyun if he saw the batters’ reaction when he threw the ball. He said he didn’t see Seohyun,” Choi said. “I told him to take a look. If he sees it, he will see batters trying to run away because they are afraid of four balls. I even asked the opponent in person. Even a great hitter like Kim Hyun-soo said he was afraid of Kim Seo-hyun’s ball,” he stressed.
“Those hitters were scared and tried to run away, but Seo-hyun was also running away,” Choi said. “I emphasized that we should be more confident in our competition from now on,” adding, “Let’s compete by throwing the ball with all our might, rather than just thinking about putting it in the strike zone. He also said, “Choose what you want to throw. The ball itself is not something that batters can hit easily. You cannot get hit by a slugger. I emphasized that people should be aware of this.”
He has also decided to appoint the position that the player wants. Kim Seo-hyun has been greedy as a closing pitcher even before the rookie draft, and his position in the 2024 season is also an intermediate pitcher.
“I’m not starting anymore. I’m expecting that I’ll be able to naturally show good performance even if I reduce my walks while using a short length of time in the bullpen.” “I think using a short length of time will have the effect of relieving pressure on players as well,” Choi said. “I’m really talented. I’ll focus on boosting my performance by taking the mound in the middle,” suggesting a way for Kim Seo-hyun to walk the path for the 2024 season.
A new starting point is the Melbourne camp in Australia. The team also focused on various pitching forms and arm height in a way that allows the team to control itself comfortably. “I could see his performance getting better and better from the second half of the camp,” Choi said, expressing hope. Attention is focusing on whether the Melbourne camp will be the first step toward turning hope into an outcome.
BY: 스포츠토토핫
