He has completely shaken off the shadow of a prospect. He has now become an indispensable presence in the LG Twins bullpen. This is the story of sidearmer Woo Kang-hoon.
Yatap High School alumnus Woo Kang-hoon joined professional baseball with the Lotte Giants in 2021 and then put on the LG uniform in a one-for-one trade with Son Ho-young in March 2024. His strength was a fastball topping out around 150km, but erratic control always held him back.
In 14 games (11⅔ innings) in 2024 he allowed 14 walks, and last year he also allowed eight walks in 11 games (9⅔ innings), leaving him far from stable.
But this season has been completely different. In eight games in which he threw eight innings, Woo Kang-hoon issued only two walks. He struck out 13. Dominant stuff has been combined with control. With a 2.25 earned run average and five holds, he is tied with Jang Hyun-sik for first in this category.
Youm Kyoung-youb's evaluation also changed. He said, "(In the game against Lotte on the 14th) after giving up one run he seemed a little fired up and threw harder," and he laughed, "we can tell by the way he throws."
In fact, Woo Kang-hoon faced a crisis in the game against Lotte. He entered in the seventh inning, allowed consecutive hits and one run, but a double play prevented additional runs. And two days later, against Lotte again, he showed a completely different performance.
One inning, three up, three down. His top speed was recorded at 154km. After getting Han Dong-hee on a groundout, he struck out Yoon Dong-hee and Han Tae-yang in succession. It was a pitch that brought both power and control to life.
Youm Kyoung-youb said, "It's important that you can control it even when you throw hard. In the past the pitch would have missed the strike zone, but not now. The value of his curveball and forkball is also high," praising Woo Kang-hoon's growth.
With Woo Kang-hoon's growth, the LG bullpen is expected to become even deeper. Left-hander Kim Yoon-sik is preparing to return as he approaches being released from military duty. If Son Ju-yeong also comes back, left-handed resources will be strengthened along with Lachlan Wells.
Youm Kyoung-youb said, "The left side of the bullpen has been weak, but if Kim Yoon-sik and Wells come in, it becomes much stronger."
Yu Young-chan, Kim Jin-sung, Jang Hyun-sik, Woo Kang-hoon, Kim Young-woo, Ham Deok-ju, Lee Jung-yong, Wells and Kim Yoon-sik. All of them make for a deep bullpen that can be operated as the main relief corps.
Youm Kyoung-youb expressed confidence, saying, "We can prevent bullpen overload. If we eliminate games where we give up, we can turn about three to four more wins than last year into comeback victories."
From prospect to core of the main relief corps. With Woo Kang-hoon's transformation, the LG bullpen is getting stronger.
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