Jeong Woo-young (LG Twins), who is aiming for a comeback, failed to demonstrate the effectiveness of his study abroad in the United States in the first game of the spring training.
On the 8th, Jeong Woo-young struggled in relief appearance at the opening game against KT Wiz held at Suwon KT Wiz Park, pitching ⅓ inning with 2 walks and no runs (14 pitches).
Jeong Woo-young took the mound as the second pitcher following starter Yoni Chirinos in the bottom of the fourth inning with one out and a runner on first, trailing 1-2.
He was shaky from the start. After yielding a straight walk to the first batter, Kim Min-hyeok, he committed a wild pitch that bizarrely headed towards the back of the batter when facing Hwang Jae-kyun, creating a crisis with runners on second and third. Thanks to a great play by second baseman Shin Min-jae, who was in a shifted position, he got a line drive out, but in the subsequent two outs with runners on second and third, he recorded another wild pitch, allowing runner Moon Sang-cheol to score easily. Runner Kim Min-hyeok advanced to third.
Jeong Woo-young struggled to find stability. He faced a full count against batter Bae Jeong-dae and gave up another walk before being replaced by Song Seung-ki, ending his disappointing first spring training game.
Jeong Woo-young threw 14 pitches. His maximum velocity was 146 km/h, utilizing a two-seam fastball, slider, and fastball, but only managed to throw 3 strikes. The 11 balls were overwhelmingly excessive. Beyond simple control issues, he showed no signs of establishing a pitch pattern at all.
Jeong Woo-young debuted like a comet in 2019, throwing 56 games with a record of 4 wins, 6 losses, 1 save, and 16 holds, earning the Rookie of the Year title with an earned run average of 3.72. Additionally, he was recognized as the holds king in 2022 and made a name for himself as LG's top submarine pitcher for four consecutive years, but he has been struggling with an unidentified slump since 2023, continuing to wander. In 2023, he recorded a record of 5 wins, 6 losses, and 11 holds with an earned run average of 4.70, followed by a shaky season last year with 2 wins, 1 loss, and 3 holds with an earned run average of 4.76 over 27 games.
As a result, Jeong Woo-young sought personal training for about three weeks at the baseball training center 'Tread Athletics' in Charlotte, North Carolina, after completing the 2024 season. He made a big decision to invest his own funds during the inactive period to regain the former potency of his incisive two-seam fastball. He underwent training to restore his throwing form to the previous angle through one-on-one lessons in the United States and showed improved results in the spring camp.
Jeong Woo-young reported during camp, "I am returning to the form I had when I was at my best. Last year, I definitely did not feel the sensation of hitting the ball, but now I feel I am hitting the ball," adding, "Last year, my arm angle dropped too low. At Tread Athletics, I threw while raising my arm much higher than was comfortable. I pitched in the bullpen about three times during camp, and I returned to my original arm position."
Before the game on the 8th, LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop also spoke with the media and included Jeong Woo-young in the list of pitchers who improved their skills during spring training. He sent him out as the second pitcher in a situation with runners on base that day without hesitation, but one cannot expect to be full from a single meal. It appears more real game experience is needed to firmly establish his arm angle.
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