Will professional baseball SSG Landers pitcher Kim Geon-woo (23) unleash his potential in his fifth season?

On the 20th, Kim Geon-woo appeared as a relief pitcher in the game against the LG Twins in the 2025 Futures League at the 강화 SSG Futures Field, showcasing a perfect inning with 'KKK' pitching.

Kim Geon-woo, pitching in the 8th inning trailing 2-8, struck out the first batter, Kim Hyun-jong, with three pitches. Then, Son Yong-jun struck out swinging on the eighth pitch after having one ball and two strikes. Ham Chang-geon ended the inning with a strikeout looking on the fifth pitch, disposing of the three batters in order.

He threw 16 pitches, with 13 strikes. It was somewhat windy and chilly, with temperatures ranging from 7 to 8 degrees Celsius, but his fastball reached speeds of 145 to 146 km/h. His bold pitching was impressive rather than retreating.

On the same day, first-team starter Moon Seung-won recorded 3⅓ innings, allowing 8 hits, 2 home runs, 4 strikeouts, and 4 earned runs, while Song Young-jin had 3⅔ innings, allowing 5 hits, 2 home runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts, and 4 earned runs, which contrasted with Kim Geon-woo's performance.

Kim Geon-woo signed with SK (now SSG) as the first overall pick in 2021. In his debut year, he pitched in 6 games (11 innings), recording 1 loss and an earned run average of 4.91 without a victory. In 2022, he appeared in 2 games, posting a 9.00 earned run average (3 innings, 3 earned runs) without a win or loss.

In September 2022, he underwent elbow surgery and enlisted in the Army Baseball Team in January 2023. Until his release last summer, he spent nearly 1 year and 6 months in rehabilitation. After his release last year, he recorded 1 loss and 1 hold with an earned run average of 2.31 in 6 games (11⅔ innings) in the Futures League.

Through spring camp and exhibition games, Kim Geon-woo has received positive evaluations. In 2 exhibition games, he recorded 1 hold with an earned run average of 1.29. He pitched 7 innings, allowing 4 hits, recording 6 strikeouts, and conceding 1 earned run. The sole earned run came from a solo home run hit by Kim Dong-yeop of Kiwoom.

As a left-handed pitcher, Kim Geon-woo could become a key player on the SSG mound. Manager Lee Seung-yong noted, "Geon-woo has been consistently impressive in his pitching, so we are continually considering how to utilize him. We need to think more about whether he should start or if it would be more advantageous for the team to place him behind immediately in regard to the pitching department."

SSG is missing foreign pitcher Mitch White from the rotation early in the season due to a hamstring injury. Anderson, Kim Kwang-hyun, and Moon Seung-won are followed by Park Jong-hoon, Song Young-jin, and Jung Dong-yoon who must pitch as the 4th and 5th starters. Kim Geon-woo can also pitch as a starter.

Manager Lee stated, "If we use Geon-woo as a starter, he will enter into the 5-day rotation, and if he comes in later, I think it could be maximized if our starters Young-jin, Dong-yoon, or Jong-hoon come in behind him. It's a dilemma. I'm also considering whether he might develop into a prominent player like former Samsung player Choi Woo-chan, who used to pitch behind the starter. It's a happy dilemma since we can definitely have a one plus one, so it seems okay for whichever pitcher he follows."

Choi Woo-chan, who retired with a career total of 112 wins, joined Samsung and initially played the role of a long reliever, pitching immediately behind the starter before establishing himself as a starter. He excelled in the '1+1' role. Choi joined Samsung in 2006 but did not achieve a single win until 2008. In 2009, primarily serving as a long reliever, he recorded 6 wins and 9 losses over 42 games. He later solidified his position as a starting pitcher.

Manager Lee has expectations that Kim Geon-woo will perform well in a role similar to that of Choi Woo-chan, pitching second after the starter.

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