Professional baseball player Jung Cheol-won (26) of the Lotte Giants has declared that he will prove his worth on his new team.

Drafted by Doosan in the second round (20th overall) of the 2018 rookie draft, Jung Cheol-won is a right-handed relief pitcher who has recorded 13 wins, 10 losses, 35 holds, and 22 saves in 161 games (177⅔ innings) in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) league, with an earned run average of 4.05. He excelled as a member of Doosan's strong bullpen in 2022 and 2023, achieving 34 holds and 16 saves, but struggled last season with 2 wins, 1 loss, 1 hold, and 6 saves in 36 games (32⅓ innings) and an earned run average of 6.40.

After experiencing his worst season since his debut, Jung Cheol-won joined the Lotte team along with Jeon Min-jae as part of a 2-for-3 trade involving Kim Min-seok, Chu Jae-hyun, and Choi Woo-in in November last year. It was a significant trade that generated considerable buzz as both teams parted with key prospects. Jung Cheol-won, determined to make an impact on his new team, recorded an earned run average of 0.00 over three games (3 innings) in spring training.

In an interview on the 18th, Jung Cheol-won said, "Preparation seems to have gone better than I expected. I was disappointed with my appearance yesterday. I got to work with Kang Nam-hyung for the first time. I think we did a check before the season started. My pitches and ball seemed fine. I'm disappointed that I allowed a hit to a foreign batter from the first pitch and didn’t prepare for the pitch clock. Still, I’m relieved that I was able to come out before the season."

"I don’t think I’m done yet when I see the ball," Jung Cheol-won said with a smile. "Since I came to the Lotte Giants, I feel like it’s a stronger team than I expected. I believe we can definitely reach the postseason. Once the season starts, I want to minimize mistakes and allow fewer runs. I think if the batters score more runs, it creates synergy and we can achieve good results."

Regarding his violation of the pitch clock, Jung Cheol-won said, "I’m not actually a pitcher who has a slow tempo, so I haven’t paid much attention to the pitch clock. However, I first got caught by the pitch clock because there was a slight miscommunication with Kang Nam-hyung on the signs. Once I experienced it, I realized that if the signs go beyond two or three, time could get tight. Since I came out early in the spring training, I think I will be able to handle it in the regular season. It’s good."

While meeting his former team Doosan at the Miyazaki camp, Jung Cheol-won said, "When I met Doosan in Miyazaki, there was a new feeling. Since I played on the same team, they saw and know me well, like many of the Doosan players I previously played with. I will prepare thoroughly for that. Doosan is always a strong team that makes it to the postseason, so if we can defeat Doosan and compete well, I think Lotte can rise to a higher level as well."

When asked which Doosan batter he would most like to face, Jung Cheol-won replied, "My most confident pitch is my fastball, and (Yang) Seok-hwan hits it well. If I face Seok-hwan in the opening game and there’s a bit of room in the score, I won’t throw off-speed pitches. A one-run difference is a little stressful, but if there’s a comfortable score and no runners, I want to challenge him with my best fastball. I think he is the best batter at hitting my fastball, so I want to face him at least once."

As the centerpiece of a major trade, Jung Cheol-won smiled when he heard that Kim Min-seok was performing well, saying, "Min-seok is doing well." He added, "In fact, I’m not paying much attention to it. I want to show the Lotte fans good results to make them feel that the bullpen has stabilized. I won’t know until the season starts, but I’m doing well in spring training. Min-seok and (Chu) Jae-hyun are originally good players, and they have the capabilities. I understand why Lotte brought me in at the cost of those players, so I will work hard to show better performance and results."

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