SSG Landers right-hander Choi Min-joon (24) found out which path he should walk this year.
Before he knew it, he became a professional 메이저놀이터 pitcher in his 6th year. Choi Min-joon, who joined in 2018 after graduating from Gyeongnam High School, started to make his name known in earnest in front of fans in 2021 after being discharged from the business.
He was evaluated as a pitcher with the ability to manage the game, a pitcher who is not tall but has guts and control. Coach Won-hyung Kim saw the potential of Choi Min-joon and gave him a chance.
He’s played a yardstick in the SSG bullpen in 2021 and 2022. He climbed the mound with his back uncovered when the starting pitcher quickly collapsed, when he was chasing, and when he had to defend.
In 2021, he recorded 3 wins, 3 losses, 4 holds, and an average ERA of 5.86 in 38 games, and last season, he recorded 5 wins, 4 losses, 5 holds, and an average ERA of 3.95. He showed a more mature pitching as much as the result.
He had a good camp this year too. He diligently prepared for the season from the 1st camp in Florida, USA to the 2nd camp in Okinawa, Japan. At the point of entering the demonstration game, coach Kim Won-hyeong is going to trust and use Choi Min-joon this year as well.
He had a change of heart to gain such trust. Choi Min-joon said, “I looked around a lot in the past. He thought that I had to do better than anyone else to get a chance. But he just kept thinking, ‘I just need to do well’ and ‘I just need to work hard to develop myself’. Now, I am trying to focus on myself without being conscious of anyone, so that I can get satisfaction on my own.”
He is a multi-inning pitcher. Therefore, if there is a variable in the starting pitcher, he is a pitcher who can be immediately put in and lead more than two innings. He will be back with left-hander Baek Seung-geon. Several pitchers are still looking at the opening game of the regular season as they play demonstration games. Even Choi Min-jun could not let go of the tension.
Choi Min-joon said, “Competition is natural in the professional world. He’s not working out for anyone else. I play baseball because I love it, and I am doing it to be good at it. When I get on the mound, I’m only thinking about how to attack the strike zone,” he said.
He continued, “There were a lot of walks during that time. So he thought about how to create an advantageous ball count. Be bolder when you need to be bold, these are the things I learned last year,” he said, promising to play an active role this season