“Jang Won-joon is also throwing a good ball.”메이저사이트
Lee Seung-yeop (47), the new head coach of the Doosan Bears, included veteran left-hander Jang Won-joon (38) in the final list while preparing for the spring camp in Sydney, Australia this winter. As a result of closely watching Jang Won-joon from the finish camp right after taking the Doosan baton last fall, I judged that he was sufficiently competitive on the mound.
Prior to the 2015 season, Jang Won-joon signed a free agency contract with Doosan for a total of 8.4 billion won over 4 years and moved his nest from Busan to Jamsil, playing a decisive role in helping Doosan reach the top of the Korean Series in the 2015-2016 season.
He won 12 wins in the 2015 season, 15 wins in the 2016 season, and 14 wins in the 2017 season, playing an active role as a native left-handed ace representing Doosan as well as the KBO League. Befitting the nickname ‘Jang Ku-jun’, he led the starting team stably.
However, Jang Won-joon is going through a long ordeal, starting with a 9.92 ERA with 3 wins and 7 losses in the 2018 season. His career multiplier has stopped at 129 as he has not added a single win from the 2019 season to last year. He managed to bounce back with an ERA of 3.71 in 27 games, 17 innings, 1 loss and 6 holds last year, but he did not firmly establish himself as a left-handed bullpen agent.
Coach Lee, however, paid attention to Jang Won-joon’s 129 victories in his career. Just before leaving Australia, “Jang Won-joon, in a way, is now the time to prepare to part with baseball,” he said. Even if it is Lee, I hope I can see Jang Won-joon on the stage of the 1st team.”
As if reading Lee’s mind, Jang Won-joon also worked hard throughout the spring camp to make Sydney a ‘land of resurrection’. While improving his condition smoothly, coach Lee’s bullpen pitching drew favorable reviews.
In an interview during the Sydney spring camp, coach Lee mentioned the 5 starting candidates, including Choi Seung-yong (22), Park Shin-ji (24), and Kim Dong-ju (21), and said, “There is also Jang Won-joon. Jang Won-jun is also throwing a good ball.” If you show it, I think it will be a bigger force for our mound.”
Until now, Jang Won-joon has not pitched in practice games other than bullpen pitching and live pitching. In the case of veteran players, regardless of whether they are fielders or pitchers, coach Lee is in a state of consideration for them to adjust their own pace, so he is likely to refrain from unreasonable actual inputs for ‘proving’.
With Jang Won-joon receiving a passing grade from coach Lee, the key is to maintain his current physical condition until the opening game in April. Doosan also does not have many proven left-handed bullpen resources, so if Jang Won-joon does his part to some extent, even if it is not at the level of his heyday, the season operation can be breathable. Jang Won-joon’s rebound is just as important as growth for young prospects such as Lee Byung-hun (20), Kim Ho-jun (25), and Lee Won-jae (20).