LG Twins catcher Park Dong-won is aiming to regain the league's best arm in throwing out runners this season.
Park Dong-won said that while the team is aiming for a second consecutive Korean Series championship this season, personally he set improving his caught-stealing rate as a task.
Park Dong-won said upon leaving for spring camp, "I felt I need to pay more attention to throwing out runners. The new battery coach I met grew up playing baseball in Japan, so the environment was different. I think I can get a lot of help."
Last year Park Dong-won allowed 67 stolen bases and successfully threw out 18 attempts. His caught-stealing rate was 21.2%. Yet among the starting catchers of the 10 clubs, that was seventh. Jang Sung-woo (9.6%) and Yoo Kang-nam (8.3%) were below 10%, and they were low-ranked just over 20%.
Wearing the LG uniform, he contributed offensively with 20 home runs for three consecutive years and was recognized for stable pitcher leadership, but his ability to throw out runners was disappointing. Park Dong-won ranked among the top with a 35.5% caught-stealing rate in 2022. But after signing a free agent contract with LG, his caught-stealing rate became ordinary at 18.6% in 2023, 25.0% in 2024 and 21.2% in 2025.
# 2025 season starting catchers' caught-stealing rates
NC Kim Hyung-jun 35.6%
Kiwoom Kim Keon-hee 34.1%
SSG Cho Hyung-woo 28.2%
Doosan Yang Eui-ji 25.8%
KIA Kim Tae-gun 25.3%
Hanwha Choi Jae-hun 23.7%
LG Park Dong-won 21.2%
Samsung Kang Min-ho 13.3%
KT Jang Sung-woo 9.6%
Lotte Yoo Kang-nam 8.3%
After spending about three weeks at spring camp in Arizona, Park Dong-won explained about his work on throwing out runners: "Last year I tended to make short throws, so there were many bouncing throws. I'm preparing to throw longer and focusing on making throws that fielders can catch comfortably."
What changes is he focusing on in his throws? Park Dong-won said, "I felt like I was snapping my throws too hard. That sometimes made my throws short, so I'm paying attention to throwing with a longer motion even during catch ball."
What kind of style is the Japanese coach Suzuki? Park Dong-won said, "He doesn't show big emotional swings, and he cares for and helps the players a lot. Since it's the first time meeting him, I thought there would be much to learn, so I'm trying to accept and learn with the humility of a rookie rather than my stubbornness."
Are there training methods different from before? Park Dong-won introduced, "We're newly doing handling training. It's training where a short-bounced ball is thrown ambiguously so you block it by batting it with your hand; it seems intended to make the hands react faster than the body. It's a drill I didn't do much in the past."
Park Dong-won said, "Coach Suzuki doesn't particularly emphasize anything more; rather, he considers players' training loads. During team defense time everyone participates, and he slightly adjusts extra workouts."
Meanwhile, Park Dong-won was selected for the WBC national team and is training at the team's second camp in Okinawa, Japan. Park Dong-won, who played as the starting catcher at the 2024 Premier12 tournament, is preparing for his first WBC appearance.
Park Dong-won said, "It's an honorable position. Training with other players on the national team offers many learning opportunities. By observing players' mindsets and preparation processes, I think I can also become stronger. It's a good opportunity."<
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