After General Manager Son Hyuk took office as the head of the front, the most prominent direction for Hanwha is the collection of fireballers. Currently, there are many pitchers in Hanwha who have easily exceeded 150 km with a fastball or can average a fastball of 150 km. There has been such a movement since the time of the former general manager, and general manager Sohn is strengthening it even more.
The reason Dong-ju Moon, a second-year player, and Seo-hyun Kim, a rookie, are attracting attention is ultimately because of the power of the ball itself. Here, one of Son’s skills is Han Seung-hyeok. As soon as this offseason began, Hanwha acquired Han Seung-hyeok and Jang Ji-soo from the KIA, while giving away prospect Woo-hyeok Byun.
Han Seung-hyuk is KIA’s sore finger. Going back in the past, the fielder was Kim Joo-hyung and the pitcher was Han Seung-hyeok. It seemed like it would explode, but it didn’t. It showed signs of improvement and had high expectations, but then returned to its original form repeatedly. It was hard to raise the average.
Even in the 2022 season, he showed good performances in spring camp and exhibition games, and won the 5th starter with the opening. However, in the end, he could not overcome the hurdle and was eliminated from the starting lineup. There was a fast ball exceeding 150 km, but the chronic weakness of shaking command was not overcome.
He himself put a lot of effort into it. He did not hesitate to make changes, such as intentionally reducing his speed slightly to balance pitching and improving the quality of breaking pitches. However, it did not see the light of day and took off the KIA uniform. 18 wins, 24 losses, 19 holds, 2 saves, and an average ERA of 5.84 in 228 games.
Hanwha highly values Han Seung-hyuk. 토토 He sees that he can handle both the starter and the bullpen. This pitcher was taken by general manager Sohn Hyuk, who has extensive pitching theories and pitcher coaching theories. When he changes the team, the environment he works out changes, and it is also an opportunity to change his mind.
KIA general manager Jang Jeong-seok basically has a good mindset as a senior baseball player who sincerely wishes all the players who left the trade to do well. In particular, right after the Han Seung-hyuk trade was decided, it seemed as if various emotions crossed over, “I really hope it goes well. It’s time to change the atmosphere (by trade).” Seeing Han Seung-hyuk’s preparations and efforts for this season behind the scenes, he felt even more regretful.
It is known that Hanwha is planning to utilize Han Seung-hyeok in the first team this season. He was acquired as a trade, so of course. Also, trade has no choice but to take a long breath and determine winners and losers. However, if you broaden your gaze, there is nothing as thrilling as the story of a player who has not exploded for a long time in the KBO League’s storytelling revitalization and succeeds after moving the team.
Can KIA’s sore finger Han Seung-hyuk succeed at Hanwha? It is a point to watch beyond the performance of KIA and Hanwha this season.