"Baek Jung-hyun told me the know-how to throw wherever I want."
Samsung Lions pitcher Choi Won-tae (28) recently mentioned a special name. He is Baek Jeong-hyun (38), a veteran pitcher.
Baek's fastball (136 kilometers per hour on average in 2024) is not that fast. Instead, he needs to throw the ball wherever he wants. He can be an exemplary player for a pitcher who wants to improve his ball control. He is also a role model found by Choi Won-tae, who joined Samsung as a free agent. At a practice game with SSG Landers on June 26, Choi threw up to 147 kilometers per hour of ball control, showing off his stable ball control.
Won Tae-in (25) who has become a "blue blood ace" now also grew up listening to Baek's advice when he was younger. Having tried to throw strong fastballs, he said, "I woke up to Baek's advice to strike a balance first." Even in a game where his ball speed was poor last year, when he tied for the top 15 wins, Won garnered good results through stable ball control and skillful game management. Baek's advice and Won's efforts were combined.
Baek is also a role model for Bae Chan-seung, a 19-year-old left-hander who throws fastballs at 150 kilometers per hour. "I want to learn to resemble Baek's crisis management skills and breaking balls (changeups)." Bae's wish is to become a pitcher who can control the ball by throwing fastballs. Bae is still alive and growing in the first-tier spring camp until the end of the Okinawa spring camp in Japan. 온라인카지노
Baek's advice doesn't stop just on the mound. Veteran batter Kim Hun-gon (37), who revived last year with a batting average of 0.302 and nine homers and 34 RBIs in 117 games, was also helped by Baek. There is a rumor that when Kim Hun-gon was struggling with the worst slump and injury in 2022 and 2023, Baek gave unexpected advice, saying, "Don't try to do well." Realizing that he could not change the result only with will, Kim prepared for the last season with a more comfortable mind and succeeded in reviving it. Kim Hun-gon also thanked, saying, "There was a change in mind thanks to (Baek) Jung-hyun."
Having become a mentor to many younger players, it is time for Baek to up his sleeve. This season is particularly important to him. This is the last year of his four-year free agent contract that he signed in the 2022 season. During the three years since his signing, Baek has failed to display satisfactory performance in 59 games, with 17 wins and 23 losses and an ERA of 4.91. Recently, foreign pitcher Denny Reyes suffered an injury (a fractured metatarsal bone in the right foot) during the camp, making it uncertain for him to join the opening game.
Since his debut as a pro in 2007, Baek has experienced the era of the Samsung Dynasty (2011-2015). The rising star is now a veteran and is leading the younger generations. The "revival project of the dynasty" that may be the last for the 38-year-old Baek. Attention is focusing on whether he will be able to recover his fame this season after turning a not-so-distant age.