There are many similarities that seem different. From the shy and quiet image to the point of being left-handed, they are similar. Professional baseball KT Futures pitching coach Jeon Byeong-doo (39) and rookie pitcher Kim Geon-woong (19) are building a friendship.
◆”Thanks to the coach”
Kim Gun-woong, who graduated from Seongnam High School, was nominated in the 40th overall in the 4th round by KT in the 2023 rookie draft. He has been with coach Jeon Byung-doo since last year’s finish camp. Kim Gun-woong said, “I used to look for his pitching video during his active career as a coach. He threw well while digesting various positions,” he said, “I felt that he was a really good player. He is also a lefty, so he is learning a lot from the coach.”
He has made remarkable achievements. At the time of the finishing camp, Kim Gun-woong’s highest fastball speed was 138 km per hour. Currently, it is taken up to 146 km. He said, “During the camp, the coach said, ‘The upper body seems to speed up when pitching. He said, “I feel like I’m throwing it standing up.” He tried to fix it,” he said.메이저놀이터
Kim Geon-woong said, “If the upper body gets faster, the arms don’t have time to come forward, so they can’t put all their energy into the ball. He said, “You have to keep your upper body in order to throw well,” he said. “I also paid attention to pitching while shifting the center of gravity low. He improved a lot thanks to the coach,” he explained. “I increased the mobility of his shoulders and grew his body through weight training. He also tried to increase his speed through quick movements such as jumps and short sprints,” he smiled.
In normal conversations, the former coach leads the story. Kim Gun-woong said, “I think there are many similarities in terms of personality. The coach doesn’t talk too much and his voice isn’t the loudest,” he said. “I definitely feel that he takes care of me. They watch over me a lot when I play catch or shadow pitching. I really want to say thank you,” he stressed.
◆“You are better than me”
Coach Jeon made his debut at Doosan in 2003. He went through KIA and SK (now SSG). He retired from SK after the 2016 season. He recorded 29 wins, 29 losses, 14 holds and 16 saves with an earned run average of 3.86 in 281 career games and 596⅔ innings. After his retirement, he worked as a power analyst, rookie team (Yuk Sung-gun) rehabilitation coach and pitching coach at SK. He moved to KT after the 2022 season.
As a senior who made a name for himself as a left-handed fireballer, he looked closely at Kim Gun-woong. Coach Jeon said, “Geon-woong tends to pitch softly. His greatest strength is that he is sincere and silent,” he said. “Even though he is a rookie, he has already established his own routine. He kept it steady and devoted himself to exercise. I looked back and wondered, ‘Did I do that when I was younger?
Regarding his increase in velocity, “He is a good player to have. He seems to have gotten faster as he trained systematically with the pros,” he said. “Not only me, but other coaches also helped me. It seems that he realized the direction Geon-woong is working hard and the pitching rhythm. He will get better and better.”
He praised his juniors even more. Coach Jeon said, “Geon-woong is much nicer than me. He is shy, but he quickly got along well with the players,” he said. “Both of us are not silent. Rather, I think I am the talkative type,” he laughed. He said, “I hope Geon-woong will continue to play healthy and unchanged. Even if he becomes good at baseball, I hope he will always be a player who strives to improve further. I will support you,” he said.