In the 'Lotte → LG' trade, he was expected as much as '18 home runs and third baseman'... 150km side arm is expected to perform well with new weapons

In the 'Lotte → LG' trade, he was expected as much as '18 home runs and third baseman'... 150km side arm is expected to perform well with new weapons

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Woo Kang-hoon (23) of the LG Twins, who changed his team through trade last season but failed to appear in many games due to injury, is running to enter the first team amid good reviews from his manager.

As of Wednesday, Woo has not shown good performance with one win, two losses and an earned run average of 23.14 in five exhibition games of the 2025 KBO. He has not shown perfect control by giving up five walks during two ⅓ innings.온라인카지노

In the game against the KT Wiz on Saturday, he failed to garner any out count, allowed one hit and two outs, and allowed four runs (two earned runs), while in the game against the SSG Landers on Sunday last week, he was shaken by allowing two hits, three walks and four runs during ⅓ innings. Still, in the remaining three games, he allowed only one walk during two innings, allowing no run.

Regarding right Kang-hoon, LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop (57) said, "The sidearm throws 150km/h, and you can learn folk balls to make a crystal ball and use it to left-handed hitters." He said, "He told me to watch the game up and down rather than the control of the corner," and added, "I let the catcher set the target in the middle, and when I gain confidence, I try to move to the side little by little." He also defended his poor performance in his first appearance, saying, "It wasn't bad, but the defense was bad."

As Yeom said, Woo Kang-hoon is a flanker who throws fastballs measuring over 150 kilometers. After graduating from Yatap High School, he was drafted by the Lotte Giants in the second round and fifth round of the 2021 KBO Rookie Draft. After undergoing Tommy John surgery and mandatory military service, he made his debut in the first division at the end of 2023.

Since then, Woo has joined the LG Twins in a one-on-one trade with infielder Son Ho-young on March 30 last year. Manager Yeom, who has praised him since his time with the Lotte Giants, has reportedly chosen him. However, due to poor shoulder and back muscles, he played in just 14 games for the first team and posted an ERA of 3.09. Son, who has been a trade partner in the meantime, hit 18 home runs, and was named an All-Star.

Woo Kang-hoon, who recently met with Star News, said, "Last year, I couldn't do it even though I wanted to because I was sick," and reflected, "My performance didn't come out because I couldn't throw 100 percent." Taking this as a lesson, he said, "I want to take care of my body because I don't want to be sick consistently for a season."

Woo, who had been preparing to become a starting pitcher in this year's spring camp, returned to the bullpen amid stellar performances by his competitors. "I practiced mostly based on speed and ball power rather than the number of pitches I threw. I practiced using folk balls instead of changeups so that I could use them to hitters," he said.

Woo Kang-hoon, who wore a folk ball at Yeom's recommendation, explained, "I asked him to throw a folk ball because it didn't work out even though I practiced change-up for a few years, but it worked well for me." "It's only been about a month, so the completeness is about 50 percent," he said with a shy expression. "I'm trying to get better as I keep practicing." Since I'm not used to using it yet, I usually test it on a ball count that is advantageous rather than using it to count.

It's still March, but Woo Kang-hoon has been spraying 150km/h fastballs. "The ball speed has increased more than I thought, and although I still lack control, I'm starting off smoothly because I'm catching it," he said. "I think I can steadily increase (the ball speed) as long as my arm is in good condition," he said.

Woo Kang-hoon, who joined the opening entry list when he was with Lotte last year, will try to join the team for the second consecutive year. "I'm preparing well because I want to feel the atmosphere of the opening game again," he said. "My next goal is to play full-time for a season, enter the must-win group, throw it in a crisis situation, and have a lot of experience."