The rehabilitation of ‘Hold King’ KIA Jang Hyun-sik (28) is proceeding smoothly. It is expected that the KIA steel wall bullpen will hit the finish line.
Jang Hyun-sik underwent surgery to remove a bone fragment in his right elbow after his last season. Because of this, he was unable to attend the first camp in Arizona, USA. Bone fragment removal surgery does not require a long rehabilitation period unlike Tommy John surgery. So Hyunsik Jang was able to join the second Okinawa camp. not a comeback He is to rehabilitate in a warm place. Only then did he think the return process was good.
And he’s gained some speed, and now he’s in the bullpen pitching phase.
Manager Kim Jong-guk explained, “(Jang) Hyun-shik pitched the second bullpen. It’s going smoothly. They said he raised his pace by going over 10 today. It’s up to 80-90%.”
Jang Hyun-shik is the pitcher who threw the most balls in the KIA bullpen in recent years. In 2021, he recorded 76⅔ innings in 69 games, 1 win, 5 losses, 34 holds and 1 save, and an earned run average of 3.29, becoming the league hold king.
And last year, he went 2-3 with 19 holds and 1 save in 54 games and 52 innings with a 3.12 earned run average. He was in the winning group, but whenever the team needed him, he always took the mound. He was about to have 4 consecutive fights in 3 days. He threw 909 balls last year alone.
He throws so much that his elbow is bound to get sore. Now that the bone fragments have been sorted out through his elbow surgery, it can be said that he has only things left to improve.
However, I have no intention of overdoing it or returning quickly. Manager Kim Jong-guk emphasized, “Hyun-sik needs to watch a little more. He seems to have to completely shake off his injury and start playing.” 스포츠토토
Jang Hyun-shik is in no hurry. Because the team’s bullpen is solid. Closer Jeong Hae-young, who performed well last season, is still alive, along with Jeon Sang-hyun and Lee Jun-young. Left-handed sidearm Kim Dae-yu, who joined as a compensation player for Park Dong-won (LG), newly joined.
In particular, it is encouraging that Choi Ji-min has grown significantly after visiting Geelong Korea.
Manager Kim said of Choi Ji-min, “The pitch itself has improved. During the practice game, he was a little shaken on location, but if he gets caught, he can expect a better performance than last season. For now, I’m thinking of him as a bullpen.”
One of the starting candidates Kim Ki-hoon and Lim Ki-young may come to the bullpen.
Manager Kim Jong-guk said, “It would be nice if one of the five starting pitchers could have a spot. (Kim) Ki-hoon and (Lim) Ki-young would help the team even if they went to the bullpen. Until Hyun-sik returns, left-handed pitchers I plan to use a lot to run the Pilseungjoo. I plan to balance the left and right sides.
The bullpen is the team’s strength that the commanding tower directly picked. On top of that, when Jang Hyeon-sik, the ‘King of Hold’, comes back after rehab, it is truly an impregnable bullpen.