What is the true meaning behind Jung Chul-won's comment, "I hope Lotte is above Doosan"?
The Lotte Giants rookie Jung Chul-won met with reporters on the 23rd during the 2nd practice game of the spring camp against the Seibu Lions at Nango Stadium in Nichinan, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, and conveyed his positive feeling, saying, "I finished the first camp well. I am very satisfied and I think we will see good results."
Jung Chul-won, who was previously with Doosan, was traded to Lotte in November last year along with infielder Jeon Min-jae. Discussions for the trade began when Lotte specifically targeted Jung Chul-won, and during the card-matching process, Doosan, which needed young talent in the outfield, chose outfielders Kim Min-seok and Choo Jae-hyun. In exchange for bringing in Jung Chul-won and Jeon Min-jae, Lotte sent Kim Min-seok, Choo Jae-hyun, and Choi Woo-in to Doosan.
Jung Chul-won said, "My mindset is similar to before the trade. Now that I am with Lotte, I hope Lotte does well, just as when I was with Doosan, I hoped Doosan would do well. My mindset and preparation for the season are all similar." He added, "The difference this year is that my physical condition is at 100 percent. I feel the best. Since I didn’t throw the ball much last year, my medical condition is also reported to be fine. The Lotte training coach, who worked with me in Doosan, knows my style well and has been taking good care of me," expressing his satisfaction with life at Lotte.
When asked about his feelings about playing under manager Kim Tae-hyung again, he said, "I had the chance to play 1 or 2 games in Taiwan, and I felt that the manager is still very good at game management. It seems the most important thing is to prepare myself to the best of my ability to be able to play in the games."
Jung Chul-won, a graduate of Ansan High School, was drafted by Doosan in 2018 as the 20th pick in the second round and after serving in the military, finally made a name for himself in his fifth year. He burst onto the first team stage on May 6, 2022, adapting quickly and securing the setup man position for the Bears. He gained manager Kim Tae-hyung's trust by boldly throwing a fastball over 150 km/h in any situation, which led to a record number of holds (23 holds) in his debut season.
Thanks to this, Jung Chul-won won the rookie of the year award, which can only be received once in a lifetime. It was also his first time wearing the national team jersey, as he attended the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC).
In 2023, during the first year of manager Lee Seung-yeop's tenure, Jung Chul-won had a record of 67 games, 7 wins, 6 losses, 13 saves, and an earned run average of 3.96, followed by a decline last year with 36 games, 2 wins, 1 loss, 6 saves, 1 hold, and an earned run average of 6.40. He struggled to regain his performance from 2022 and became a player not on the roster, leading to a team change through a trade.
Jung Chul-won reflected, "I played a lot of games without much rest while at Doosan. Last year, due to the impact of back-to-back full seasons, I took a bit more time to prepare while managing my arm, which I think led to my decline. I have been working hard to raise my pace from the camp with the mindset of returning to 2022. I am thinking of this as a fresh start as a rookie again."
True to his bright and lively personality, Jung Chul-won has already adapted to Lotte. He said, "I am the eldest son in my family and have two younger siblings. I often have meals with them and go to cafes. Even when I was at Doosan, I took good care of my younger siblings. Since coming to Lotte, they have helped me a lot in adjusting to the new team." He also mentioned, "In Japan, my roommate is rookie Park Se-hyun. He follows me very well. There’s a sense of familiarity because we both came from Seoul. I also became friends with Lee Byung-jun and Lee Min-seok while playing the same games in Taiwan."
Jung Chul-won's goals at Lotte are twofold. When asked about the first goal, he said, "In the past, there was a season where I showed good performance. I represented my team and achieved good results in international competitions." He added, "Personally, I have a desire to regain honor in international competitions by pitching well again."
The second goal sounded like a declaration against his former team. Jung Chul-won said, "When I face Doosan, I want to pitch without allowing any runs," smiling. "I hope Lotte is above Doosan, but that doesn’t mean I want Doosan to do poorly. Doosan is always a team that advances to fall baseball. If the goal is to do better than Doosan, both Lotte and Doosan can reach the postseason. I hope both Lotte and Doosan do well, but the ranking should have Lotte above Doosan," he said with a bright smile.