KIA Tigers rookie pitcher Cho Dae-hyun (19) has been confirmed for the team’s spring training camp in Canberra, Australia, starting in February. Manager Kim Jong-kook said, “The roster for the camp hasn’t been finalized yet. We haven’t decided who to take among the rookies, but we’re taking Dae-hyun Cho unconditionally,” he said.
At the same time, he said, “I’ve been working on my body a lot during the final camp and offseason. He’s gotten a lot bigger. We haven’t seen him throw the ball well yet, but we’ll see what he throws in camp. He’s still a rookie, but I’m honestly excited. I hope I can contribute to the first team, whether it’s in the starting rotation or the bullpen.”
Cho Dae-hyun is a 2024 first-round pick from Gangneung High School. He is two years junior to Choi Ji-min, who has developed into a bullpen stalwart. He stands at 6-foot-2 and has a powerful fastball with a high batting average. 안전놀이터 He threw a 151-kilometer fastball in high school. He was not taken to the Okinawa wrap-up camp last November.
It was a measure to relieve shoulder fatigue.
Instead, he focused on building his body through running and physical training without throwing a ball in Hampyeong. During the off-season, he continued his training program and became quite toned. He weighed 86 kilograms, but he lost fat and gained muscle mass. He worked hard to build a professional body instead of a high school student’s body. Since January, he has been training at the Hampyeong Training Center.
When he enters the Canberra spring training camp, he will have to go through bullpen pitching and live pitching. The power of the fastball, the control of the fastball, and the command of the changeup are all checked. They’re also interested in how much the power of his fastball will increase as he bulks up. The main changeup is the slider. He needs to improve his other pitches to be effective in the pros.
KIA has a complete starting rotation and bullpen. The team has yet to sign two outfielders, but the five-man starting rotation of Yang Hyun-jong, Lee Yi-ri, and Yoon Young-chul has been finalized. The bullpen is also full with Jeon Sang-hyun, Lim Ki-young, Choi Ji-min, Lee Jun-young, Jang Hyun-sik, Kim Dae-yu, Kwak Do-kyu, Park Joon-pyo, Yoon Jung-hyun, Kim Ki-hoon, and Yoo Seung-chul.
Cho Dae-hyun has the task of making a place for himself in spring training.
He could be one of the six to eight starters in the rotation, or he could be a setup man or long man in the bullpen. Seniors who were drafted in the first or first round, such as Jung Hae-young, Lee Yi-ri, Choi Ji-min, and Yoon Young-cheol, have stepped up as mainstays from their first year. It will be interesting to see if Cho Dae-hyun can follow suit and quickly become a first-team mainstay.
Dae-hyun Cho visited Champions Field last October and was greeted by fans as a rookie. In an interview, he said, “Both my fastball and breaking ball are important. I want to imitate Lee Yi-ri’s fastball, Yang Hyun-jong’s changeup and fastball, 파워볼사이트 추천 and Jeong Jung-young’s fastball, changeup, and crisis management,” he said, adding, “I want to become a right-handed fireballer representing the Tigers.” If he shows promise in spring training in February, KIA will have another option for Young-gun.