Is Shin Young-woo's control issues tripping him up again?

The NC Dinos pitcher Shin Young-woo, 21, struggled with wildly varying pitching performances in the Futures League.

Shin Young-woo started on April 4 in a Futures League game against the KT Wiz held at Iksan Stadium. He became the losing pitcher after allowing 6 hits (1 home run), 6 walks, striking out 6, and giving up 5 runs over 5 innings. In the first and second innings alone, he allowed 5 hits, 5 walks, and had 3 wild pitches, showcasing an unsettling performance.

In the first inning, he allowed a triple to lead-off hitter Yoo Jun-kyu to left center and then gave up a two-run home run to Ahn Hyun-min over the left field fence, giving up 2 runs. He then walked Yoon Jun-hyuk on a straight ball and allowed a free advance to second base due to a wild pitch. After giving up a single to Lee Seung-hyun, the runners were on first and third base. He allowed Kang Min-seong to reach base on a walk, creating a bases-loaded scenario with no outs.

He gave up another run on a full-count walk to Oh Jae-il. In the continued bases-loaded situation, he recorded a double play by getting Kim Jun-tae out on a line drive to the first baseman, but the runner on first base was also out. With 2 outs and runners on second and third, he stopped further runs by getting Lee Ho-yeon to ground out to the second baseman.

In the second inning, his control was still shaky. He allowed consecutive bunts for hits towards third base to Kim Byeong-jun and Yoo Jun-kyu. He then walked Ahn Hyun-min on a straight ball, resulting in another bases-loaded scenario with no outs. During Yoon Jun-hyuk's at-bat, a wild pitch allowed 1 run to score, but he struck out on a called third strike.

With 1 out and runners on second and third, he gave up another run on a wild pitch during Lee Seung-hyun's at-bat. The score became 0-5. After walking Lee Seung-hyun, he ended the inning with a double play from Kang Min-seong's ground ball to the third baseman.

In the third inning, he struck out leading hitter Oh Jae-il, but then allowed a hit to Kim Jun-tae and walked Lee Ho-yeon on a straight ball. In a 1 out, 1st and 2nd base threat, he got Kim Byeong-jun and Yoo Jun-kyu out on consecutive pop-ups to left field to end the inning. He recorded 2 strikeouts in the fourth inning, finishing the inning in order, and followed it up with another 2 strikeouts in the fifth inning as well.

Shin Young-woo was drafted in the first round as the overall 4th pick by NC in the 2023 draft. He played in the Futures League during his first year in 2023. In 17 games in the second team, he pitched 66 innings, allowing 45 hits, 89 walks, 8 hit-by-pitches, and striking out 83, recording an earned run average (ERA) of 6.14. His walk rate was extremely high.

He made his debut in the first team in 2024, pitching 9⅓ innings over 4 games, allowing 9 hits, 15 walks, 2 hit-by-pitches, and striking out 6, with an ERA of 10.61. Walks were a major issue.

This season, new manager Lee Ho-jun has been preparing Shin Young-woo as a starting option for 7th starter. He started the season in the second team and had a decent outing in the Futures League on March 21 against KT, pitching 4 innings while allowing 2 hits, 2 walks, striking out 3, and not allowing any runs. However, on March 28 against Kia, he recorded 5 innings, allowing 4 hits, 3 walks, 1 hit-by-pitch, striking out 6, and giving up 3 runs (2 earned). On this day, he repeated his worst control during the KT game.

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