Seo Jun-won (23, Lotte Giants), who was full of injuries and sluggishness, can fly in the 5th year as a pro.

Seo Jun-won wore a Lotte uniform as the first nomination for the ‘2019 KBO League Rookie Draft’. At the time of his joining, he used a fastball that exceeded 150 km per hour with a sidearm and received a lot of expectations, but he did not grow as expected due to hunting and frequent injuries.

Seo Jun-won failed to leave a definite impact even if he had the chance to start 20 to 30 games every year. Even in the first half of last year, he was sluggish with an earned run average of 6.75 in 15 games and 24 innings. 스포츠토토

The second half was the time to prove Seo Jun-won’s potential. He showed pitching that focused on the movement and command of the ball by reducing speed along with mental management. In 18 games in the second half, he prepared a clue for a rebound with pitches that ran with an average ERA of 3.50 in 36 innings.

Even in the off-season, Seo Jun-won is continuing a good trend. He was dispatched to Geelong Korea of ​​the Australian Professional Baseball (ABL) and began to prepare for the next season by gaining practical experience that he lacked.

The record is also drawing an upward curve. In his first appearance, against the Malvern Aces on the 18th of last month, he hit a home run as a relief pitcher in the top of the ninth inning when the team led 5-2, but saved the team victory. Since then, he has started both appearances.

On the 29th of last month (Korean time) against the Sydney Blue Sox, he recorded his first quality start (less than 3 earned runs in 6 starting innings) with 3 hits (1 home run), 2 walks, 3 strikeouts and 2 runs (1 earned run) in 6 innings. In his second game as a starter, against Perth Heat on the 6th, he scored 5 hits, 4 hits, 5 strikeouts and 2 runs in 5 innings. Although the team lost 0-11 and suffered a yoke of defeat, it attracted attention with its stable control.

The year 2023 is important to Seo Jun-won, who is already in his 5th year as a pro. In Lotte last year, Kim Do-gyu (25) took his place in the first team, and promising players such as Choi Geon (24), Lee Min-seok (20), and Jin Seung-hyun (20) were given opportunities little by little and stood out. The time has come for Seo Jun-won to play an active role as pitchers who show more and more potential are coming up and threatening his position.

The 2023 season is important even for players and teams. I wonder if Seo Jun-won will be able to show his changed pitching.