Kang Jae-min (26, Hanwha Eagles), who was sluggish in 2022, prepares to take off again. He decided to focus on making use of his strengths rather than developing new weapons.
Kang Jae-min, who joined Hanwha in the 2nd 4th round in 2020, has been active in the first team with an average ERA of 2.57 and 1 save and 14 holds since his first year. Kang Jae-min was the first Hanwha pitcher to record double-digit holds in his debut season. Then, in the 2021 season, it evolved into the best bullpen in the league with an average ERA of 1.04 in the first half. He failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, but raised his prospects for the national team in the future with an ERA of 2.13, 5 saves and 13 holds.
The year 2022, which started with great expectations, was not as good as before. The start of the season was delayed due to an injury, and his pitching was also shaken. The average speed of the fastball was maintained around 139 km per hour, but the number of hits increased significantly. Home runs per 9 innings jumped to 1.23 from 0.28 in 2021, and walks per 9 innings increased from 3.70 to 5.08.
Kang Jae-min took on the role of closer as there was no fixed finisher due to Jung Woo-ram’s injury. However, he had 5 blown saves. The Hangzhou Asian Games were postponed for a year, and the Taegeuk mark, which fans expected a year ago, had to be postponed to the next opportunity as it was not included in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) list.
Leaving behind a disappointing year, Kang Jae-min is in the midst of building his body for the 2023 season with Kim Min-woo and Kim Jong-soo. In an interview with Ilgan Sports, Kang Jae-min said, “It’s not that there were no regrets in the first two seasons. But last year, only regrets remained. I don’t think there is a need for excuses and excuses. It was a year that could have been possible,” he looked back.
Until a year ago, Kang Jae-min’s concern was pitching. It was the slider that kept him going for two seasons. His slider control was excellent, and he caught left-handed batters with backdoor pitches, but the pitcher’s slider with sidearms was inevitably a pitch that looked good to left-handed batters. Kang Jae-min said before the season, “I want to improve the efficiency of fastballs and sliders by using two-seam fastballs (two-seams).” 토토사이트