The shoulders of NC shortstop Kim Joo-won (21), who is in his third year of high school graduation, are heavy. Although he is still young, his role in both offense and defense has grown. He has already shown the potential. He is interested in how much he grows this season.
Kim Joo-won’s first and second priority is physical strength. In July of last year, Kim Joo-won burned hot with a batting average of 0.389 and an OPS of 1.087. However, the pace fell as we entered midsummer in August. He broke down even more in the fall. He only had his batting average of 0.145 in September and his batting average of 0.176 in October.
In a phone call on the 26th, Kim Joo-won said, “As my physical strength decreased, my waist rotation slowed down by one beat, and the timing was also delayed.” As his spin slowed, his confidence in handling the fast ball did not work as expected, and as a result, his weakness in the breaking ball stood out even more. Professional stage seniors dug into that weakness tenaciously.
Kim Joo-won, who is 1m85 tall, currently weighs about 89kg. He gained about 4 kg from this time last year. Song Ji-man, who said that he needs to increase his weight to strengthen his stamina and increase his power, followed the advice of his hitting coach. During his active career, Coach Song boasted solid muscles and strong stamina until his retirement. During the off-season, Kim Joo-won increases his diet and focuses on power training such as weight training.
Joo-Won Kim hit 10 home runs in his last season. NC is putting a lot of expectations on Kim Joo-won’s long hit this season. Yang Eui-ji (20), Nick Martini (16), and Noh Jin-hyeok (15), who ranked first, second, and third in the team last year, all left the team. Kim Joo-won and Park Gun-woo (10) are the only two-digit home run hitters left in the team. In order to fill the long-hit gap, his existing resources, such as Kim Joo-won, have no choice but to work hard.
Kim Joo-won said he wanted to hit 20 homers in the long run. It’s not a story that he’ll forcefully pull and send the ball. He believes that as his stamina increases and power increases, the number of home runs will naturally increase as long as he hits the ball properly. 카지노
Technically, his task is to make sure he sets his own zone and narrow the difference between left and right at-bats. Kim Joo-won, virtually the only switch hitter in Korea, recorded a batting average of 0.237 for left-handers and 0.197 for right-handers last year. Kim Joo-won said, “I didn’t say that the swing was uncomfortable just because he was right-handed, but he seemed to have a little more difficulty because he had fewer opportunities to deal with left-handed pitchers.” The player he refers to is still Major League Baseball’s Francisco Lindor (30, New York Mets). He has a lot to learn as a switch hitter at shortstop. Kim Joo-won said, “It is especially helpful to take the same swing in any at-bat either left or right.”
He also plays a big role in defense. Kim Joo-won played 52 games in 2021, the first year of his debut, and 79 games last year as a shortstop. He should be responsible for more games this year. Noh Jin-hyeok, who was in charge of NC shortstop defense until his injury, moved to Lotte as a free agent. Kim Joo-won said, “I was able to rely on (Roh) Jin-hyeok a lot when I was shaken in offense or defense, but it’s a pity.” However, there is no pressure on his starting shortstop position. He intends to hit it once. Kim Joo-won has been praised for his sensible defense since his debut season. In spring training in Arizona, USA, he is determined to refine his overall defense basics more clearly. Kim Joo-won will depart for Arizona with his teammates on the 29th.