There was a prominent name in the final 30-man list of the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) Korean national team announced on the 4th. That is, KBO Rookie King Cheol-won Jeong, who spent the 2022 season hot, joined the pitching staff.
Cheol-won Jeong played in 58 games in the 2022 season, recording 4 wins, 3 losses, 23 holds, 3 saves, and an average ERA of 3.10. He built the pride of the Doosan Bears mound with his fastball over 150km.
Jeong Cheol-won, who set the record for the most holds by a debut rookie since the KBO’s inception, eventually captured the heart of national team coach Lee Kang-cheol. He confidently challenges the world’s best stage.
It is the first time in 17 years that the KBO 토토 Rookie of the Year directly competes in the WBC. It is also something that has never happened since Oh Seung-hwan, who became the KBO Rookie of the Year in 2005, made his first case while participating in the 2006 WBC.
Among the players who became the KBO Rookie of the Year after Oh Seung-hwan, Choi Hyung-woo in 2009, Seo Kun-chang in 2013, and Shin Jae-young in 2017 all failed to participate in the WBC, which was held immediately. Choi Hyeong-woo and Seo Geon-chang relieved the regret while participating in the 2017 tournament.
Oh Seung-hwan showed off his superpowers by participating in 4 games in the 2006 WBC, striking out 3 with 1 save in 3 innings. As a result, he was listed along with Doosan coach Lee Seung-yeop as one of the top 5 stars mentioned on the WBC official website. Since then, he has grown into the best closer in Korea and has been active ever since.
We can expect a similar performance from Cheol-Won Jeong. As a pitcher who enjoys playing head-to-head with opponents, he puts all his energy into each ball. In the off season, Cheol-Won Jeong’s stone fastball will be very difficult for opposing teams who are not yet in perfect shape.
Will Jung Cheol-won be able to draw a parallel theory by playing as active as Oh Seung-hwan? The moment when we can anticipate the birth of a young and promising new star is coming soon.
