A right-handed fireballer who showed potential in Australia.

Jang Jae-young (20, Kiwoom Heroes) is showing off his pitching in Australia, which he could not show in Korea.

On the 18th (Korean time) against the Melbourne Aces, Jang Jae-young was awakened. He came to the mound as the starting pitcher for Geelong Korea, pitching 8 innings and allowing 2 runs. He threw 115 pitches and struck out 10. He had the ability to digest innings and strike out, which was not seen in Korea.

Jang Jae-young, who joined Kiwoom in 2021 as the first nomination, is a promising player who has been attracting attention since high school with a fast ball of 150 km per hour. However, he struggled in the KBO League due to poor control compared to his fastball. He pitched in 14 games this season, posting an earned run average of 7.71. He gave up 7 walks in 14 innings pitched. Last year, he had a 9.17 earned run average with 24 walks in 19 games, 17⅔ innings.

When he was sluggish as a pitcher, Jang Jae-young boarded a plane to Australia, thinking of a double job as a batsman. Could it be because the environment has changed? In the Australian Professional League (ABL), the 20-year-old pitcher’s ball began to score zero points. 토토

He made no starts in the KBO League this year and only two last season. However, in the ABL, he is proving his potential as a starting pitcher in every appearance. Jang Jae-young started 6 games and threw 30 innings, and has a 3.30 ERA. Even considering that his ABL level is slightly higher than Double-A in the American minor leagues, his change is worthy of applause.

Kiwoom plans to include Ahn Woo-jin (23), who has grown into a top pitcher in the league, Eric Yokishi (33), a foreign pitcher who has been in his 5th year in the league, and newly recruited Ariel Hurado (26) as the starting lineup for the new season. Even if Choi Won-tae (25), who showed good form in the postseason bullpen, returns to the starter, one spot remains.

Jeong Chan-heon and Han Hyun-hee, who made up the starting lineup this season, both obtained FA qualifications, but it is unclear whether Kiwoom will remain.

The more selection resources, the better. As for Kiwoom, Jaeyoung Jang’s ‘awakening’ is just nice.