8 people come in and 7 people go out. Hanwha will send additional players to Geelong Korea of the Australian Professional Baseball (ABL).
Hanwha currently sent 8 players to Geelong Korea, the most among KBO League clubs. Pitchers Kim Jae-young, Lee Seung-gwan, Jeong Yi-hwang, catcher Park Sang-eon, infielder Park Jung-hyun, outfielder Jang Jin-hyuk, Lee Won-seok, and Yoo Sang-bin have been playing 4 games a week for a total of 6 rounds since the opening on the 5th of last month.
Kim Jae-young and Jung Yi-hwang, who are in the starting rotation, are showing remarkable growth. Kim Jae-young is seeing results while testing his two-seam fastball, and Jeong Yi-hwang, who lacked practical experience due to rehabilitation and military service, is also building confidence by throwing a 150km fastball.
The eight existing players will complete their schedules by this week and return home on the 20th and 21st. Substitute pitchers Park Yun-cheol, Oh Se-hoon, Yang Kyung-mo, catcher Heo Gwan-hoe, infielder Kim Tae-yeon, outfielder Lee Jin-young and Kwon Kwang-min will depart for Australia on the 26th and complete the rest of the 7-10 rounds until the 22nd of next month.
It is a planned member change. After being appointed in October, general manager Sohn Hyuk planned in advance so that more players could gain experience in Australia through member replacements with Geelong Korea during the season. 메이저놀이터
Hanwha does not stop at sending players to Australia, but is showing interest by flying directly to the local level from high-ranking officials. CEO Park Chan-hyuk and general manager Sohn Hyuk departed for Australia on the 15th and are encouraging the players while watching the Geelong Korea game.
Among the additional players, infielder Kim Tae-yeon is the most noteworthy. Although the Geelong Korea members were mainly composed of players who played for a long time in the 2nd team, Kim Tae-yeon spent most of her time in the 1st team from August of last year to this year. In 119 games this year, he recorded a batting average of 2.4, 97 hits, 7 home runs and 53 RBIs, but there are parts that fell short of expectations. Before spring camp begins in February, he spends a month in Australia preparing for the new season.
Among pitchers, Yang Kyung-mo is the first pitcher. Yang Gyeong-mo, a right-hander who was born at Bukil High School in Cheonan and was nominated by Hanwha in the 41st overall in the 2nd 4th round this year, is a promising player who threw a 150km fast ball during his high school days. He underwent elbow surgery and rehabilitated for a year, and is preparing for his first real pitch in Australia. Even if he can’t expect many innings or good pitches right away, it’s meaningful to make his first appearance after his rehabilitation.