It is not easy for any team to find a young catcher with rich potential. Nevertheless, it is a process that must be passed for the future of the team.
The ‘defending champion’ SSG Landers, who must find a catcher to succeed Lee Jae-won and Kim Min-sik, is no exception. The catcher who is receiving the most attention is Cho Hyeong-woo, who was born in 2002.
Cho Hyeong-woo, who was nominated as the 8th pick in the 2nd 1st round of the 2021 KBO Rookie Draft, was expected to show his skills in both the offense and defense from the time he joined.
After entering the professional stage, he steadily accumulated experience in the Futures League for two years, and finally made his debut in the first team last year.
Since the beginning of this season, he has been getting a chance in the first team. Cho Hyung-woo recorded 4 hits in 17 at-bats and 3 RBIs in 7 games, and in the home game against KT Wiz on the 2nd, he hit his first home run. He was also named in the preliminary entry for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games announced on the 28th of last month.
The command tower is also satisfied with the growth of Cho Hyeong-woo.
SSG coach Won-hyung Kim, who we met ahead of the game on the 2nd, praised Cho Hyung-woo, saying, “(Jo Hyung-woo’s) greatest strength is his strong shoulder. His blocking is also improving.”
“I think framing skills improve over time, but depending on how well the catcher blocks the bounced ball, the pitcher can drop the bounced ball after the second strike and induce the batter’s swing. If (the catcher) is good at blocking, A pitcher can drop a breaking ball as much as he wants from the mound, and if that happens, it is possible to throw a breaking ball even when the runner is on third base.”
Director Kim doesn’t order much from Cho Hyung-woo right away. Instead, he hopes that he will consider working with pitchers more important. 스포츠토토
Coach Kim said, “There is something I always emphasize (to catchers), and the first is to know the pitchers on our team. Even during spring camp, he said that you should know the information of the pitchers who came to the camp rather than the part about the opponent hitter, and take notes.”
Manager Kim said, “(But) the catcher who always holds my ball isn’t forever. Sometimes there must be a change. There are pitchers who become sensitive when taking the mound, but there are times when they attribute (sluggishness) to the catcher. If not, the game I don’t think there will be any problems with playing. It can’t be said that (pitcher and catcher) work well by necessarily winning the game or pitching well. I think Cho Hyung-woo needs a part where the pitcher and catcher understand each other even if someone can’t. ” he advised.