KIA’s biggest power plus factor this year is the bullpen. Last year, there was a problem that it depended on a specific winning group and the left and right balance was not well matched. However, this year, we enter the season with the theoretical possibility of resolving many of those weaknesses. Looking at the surface, it is not unreasonable to have expectations.

In particular, it is a good thing that many players with potential have joined the left-handed bullpen, which struggled alone with Lee Jun-young last year. Although their positions have not been confirmed yet, Kim Ki-hoon, who showed off strong pitches after being discharged last year, Kim Dae-yu, who came as a reward player for Park Dong-won, and Choi Ji-min, who showed a clear rise in restraint in Geelong Korea, are selected as representative promising players. Both quantity and quality have improved.

However, in order to be a meaningful upgrade, the existing members of the winning team must be supported. This is because if the existing power collapses, it will only make up for it with added power. You can’t avoid stepping in place. So, the three right-handers who have played in Pilseungjoo for the past two years are still important. While Jung Hae-young, the team finisher, and Jeon Sang-hyun, the setup man, spent a normal camp, the final puzzle is to confirm that Jang Hyun-sik (28) is healthy.

Unlike other players, Hyunsik Jang was not in Tucson, Arizona, the first camp of the team. This is because after last season, he underwent surgery on a fractured bone in his elbow and was in rehabilitation. It is generally accepted that bone fragment removal surgery takes about four months to rehabilitate. However, in the case of many players, it takes a little longer to find a normal pitch. In the beginning of the comeback, there are many cases of struggle. Although the rehabilitation period is shorter than that of ligament reconstruction surgery, it is not an operation to be taken lightly.

However, Hyunsik Jang is putting the KIA coaching staff at ease with a pace that exceeds expectations. KIA coach Kim Jong-guk explained that there were no special problems in the ITP. Bullpen pitching was originally scheduled for mid-February, but it’s not too late, maybe even faster.

It is related to this that the KIA coaching staff called Hyunsik Jang to the second camp in Okinawa. It is said that the condition of the elbow has recovered smoothly enough to be able to pitch in the bullpen. Coach Kim said, “(After the rehabilitation is completed to some extent), I will go to Okinawa and have bullpen pitching in a warm place,” but he joined as planned. Although it is not a situation that can be thrown in a real fight right away, it can be interpreted as meaning that there is no major problem in Jang Hyun-sik’s rehabilitation front. 바카라

After transferring from NC and wearing the Tigers uniform, Jang Hyun-sik became the core of the KIA bullpen. He went out in 69 games in 2021 and 54 games in 2022, all with an earned run average in the early 3-point range. He is a player who can hit and press opponents with a pitch, and he was responsible for the team’s lead in the 7th and 8th innings along with Jeon Sang-hyun. The same mission is expected this year. Since he is a player with a good old age, he needs to gain strength, so a more thorough rehabilitation is essential. Rather, if he escapes the pain that has plagued him, he can expect a stronger ball.

Waiting for the opening will be physically difficult, but at this rate, a return from the end of April to the beginning of May, which was expected, seems quite possible. Coach Kim has a plan to run the season after earning a certain margin of victory through all-out war in April. If that goal is achieved, it will be easier to operate the bullpen from May when Hyunsik Jang will support him. Attention is focusing on whether all scenarios will fit together as planned.