It was short but intense. He proved why he was the biggest pitcher in the 2022 draft and announced that he was the future of Korean baseball beyond his team. And now I’m preparing for my second year as a pro. This is the story of Hanwha starting pitcher Moon Dong-ju (20).
He throws the best fastball in the KBO League, but he’s not just a fast pitcher. The pitching mechanic is random, and the pitching is also stable considering the years. Most surprising of all is his ability to learn pitches. Moon Dong-ju quickly learned the slider and changeup from coach Jose Rosado last year. As a pitcher in his high school days, his pitching power was not long, and he was a fastball and curve-to-pitch type, but as soon as he put on his professional uniform, the possibility of a four-pitch was revealed.
This is where Moon Dong-ju is currently focusing. On the 3rd (Korean time), Moon Dong-ju emphasized to throw the slider and changeup steadily after the morning training on the second day of the spring camp in Bellbank Park, Mesa, Arizona, USA. He said, “Last year, I only threw during the game, but I did not practice throwing separately. Now, I want to learn it completely with my own, so I plan to keep throwing it during the camp to get a better feel.”
He is still a promising player who focuses on the future rather than the present. Last year, there was a limit of 80 pitches for starting pitches. Still, he threw 5 or more innings in all of his last 3 games, giving up only 3 earned runs or less. He also posted his first career start against SSG, the unified champion.
Moon Dong-joo said, “Still, I think I showed a little bit of myself at the end of the season. I am not a perfect pitcher yet, but I felt good thinking that I made use of the opportunity given to me at the end.” No matter how many, the goal is to digest as many innings as possible with a set number of pitches.”
The qualification for Rookie of the Year remains and is considered as the 0th candidate for the Rookie of the Year. However, Dong-ju Moon is not going to pay attention to the rookie king in order to avoid an overface. Moon Dong-joo said, “Honestly, I think I was conscious of the rookie king without even realizing it when I was talking about the rookie king last year. I don’t think it’s the cause of more power and injuries. I won’t be really conscious this year. Only then will better results come out,” he said, promising not to be bound by the award.
He replied that he would not be impatient with the question about the national team. Of course, he wanted the Taegeuk mark, but before that, he wanted to show that he was a player worthy of the Taegeuk mark. Moon Dong-joo has been named on the preliminary 50-man list of the upcoming 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team. Although he did not make it to the final list, the technical committee had been thinking until the end about Moon Dong-ju’s boarding.
Moon Dong-ju said, “Of course I want to wear the Taegeuk mark. Even if it’s not the WBC right now, I know there are Asian Games and Asian Professional Baseball Championships (APBC). Perhaps all baseball players want to join the national team and have a desire for the national team. But now I want to use it as motivation rather than greed. In the end, the player who has a good season becomes the national team. So, before joining the national team, I will think about having a good season. It seems that always preparing well for the opening of the season is the way to eventually make it to the national team.”
The target is high. Whoever the opponent is, I hope that he will be the starter who will make an overwhelming pitching game for the team to win. In response to the question, “What kind of pitcher do you ultimately want to become?” When I come out, it will always be a game where the team can win, and I want to create a flow where I can continue to fight the opponent.”
He continued, “In order to do that, I have to go through the season well without getting sick. So right now, the ultimate goal is not to get sick. It is more important to have a healthy season than to become a certain player this year,” he said, reaffirming his determination for the full season. 먹튀검증
Expectations are high. He has only had 4 starting experience on the professional stage, but he has already been selected as a candidate for the opening game. Hanwha coach Carlos Subero said, “Kim Min-woo, Moon Dong-ju, and Jang Min-jae are candidates for the opening pitcher,” and “Moon Dong-ju is a pitcher with tremendous potential. He will be responsible for all Korean baseball, not just Hanwha. He is a player to look forward to this year,” foreshadowing that Moon Dong-ju will unfold infinite possibilities.