Lotte Giants Kim Jin-wook’s Goal is to ‘Think Less’
"PHILOSOPHER OF THE MOUND" LOTTE GIANTS KIM JIN-WOOK"s GOAL IS TO "THINK LESS"
“Even if you put a lot of thought into it for 3 years, the results will be the same… Ultimately, it’s a matter of mindset.”
Kim Jin-wook (21), a left-handed pitcher for the professional baseball Lotte Giants, had so many thoughts that it could be safe to call him a ‘philosopher on the mound.’
If the ball went in well, it went in well, but if it went in differently than I expected, I sank inside to find out the reason.
While he was a student at Gangneung High School, he threw the best ball in the country, but after his professional debut, he did not show much shine.
He joined Lotte as the first overall pick in the 2021 KBO draft, and his three-season career record is 103 games, 8 wins, 12 losses, 16 holds, and an ERA of 6.37.
It is true that he is not satisfied with the performance of a "high school genius pitcher" who trained harder than anyone else on the team and never neglected to reflect on himself.
Kim Jin-wook, who is preparing for the 2024 season at Lotte Spring Camp in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, declared a transformation.
It"s not a transformation that involves bulking up your body and equipping yourself with a change-up ball.
He is trying to get his thoughts out.
Kim Jin-wook said, (With a lot of thought) I tried for 3 years, but the results were the same."
Since I didn"t need to bulk up, I thought that in the end (the lack of results) was a matter of mindset.
Now, I"m trying to think that I don"t have to be perfect. “
Even if I can’t do it, I won’t dig into it too much,” he said.
Jinwook Kim had a brilliant start last season.
He did not give up a single point in 10 games throughout April, and with 1 win and 3 holds, he became the team"s guardian of victory.
But the ups and downs became severe again.
In the first half, he was a sure-to-win team with 2 wins, 1 loss, 8 holds, and an ERA of 5.46, but in the second half, he collapsed with no wins or losses and an ERA of 9.72.
Now entering his 4th year as a pro, Jin-wook Kim has become difficult to use as an excuse for being a "newbie" or "adjusting to being a pro".
Kim Jin-wook said, "It is true that this year is an important year.
But we should not focus on that.
I will try to think that it is okay to do the same this year (as in previous years) and that it is okay even if I do not do well.
I will approach it with the thought, "I can not do much better than I can."" He declared.
Baseball, which is played every day, is a sport that requires forgetfulness.
If you focus on the ball you just threw or the missed swing of the previous at-bat, you can easily get lost in a swamp of thoughts.
This is why Kim Jin-wook declared a mental transformation.
While he changes his thoughts, he also does not neglect training.
Pitching coach Joo Hyung-kwang advised Jin-wook Kim, who was struggling with poor ball control, that “the solution is to throw a lot and find balance.”
Kim Jin-wook explained, “Coach Joo Hyung-kwang said that stamina for throwing a ball and stamina for running are different and that he wanted me to throw a lot of balls,” and “So he wants to throw a lot of pitches.”
When asked specifically about the amount of training, he added, "Rather than focusing on the number of balls, the number increases as you train.
I try to throw at least one more ball than other players and focus on throwing each ball one by one."
This year, Kim Jin-wook is competing as a candidate for the 5th selection.
He said that he has raised the number of pitches to 80-90 since the first camp in Guam, "I pitched a lot, so I am in good shape.
The manager didn"t say anything (about selection), but I am preparing to take advantage of any opportunity that comes."
I made up my mind.