It was an ‘unbelievable’ performance. Jang Jae-young (22, Kiwoom Heroes) finally hit his first home run in his debut after switching to the outfield, and he’s proving why he made the switch by showing off his natural talent.
Jang Jae-young started in the No. 9 spot in the lineup against the Lotte Giants of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea, and hit his first career home run in the third inning.
Jang’s home run came in the bottom of the third inning with the team trailing 0-2. Jang batted leadoff and faced Lotte starter Wilkerson. Jang picked out a cutter outside the zone on the first pitch and a low curveball on the second pitch. The count was 2-0 in the batter’s favor.
And three balls later. Jae-young Jang swung his bat at Wilkerson’s 139-kilometer cutter almost right down the middle with confidence, and the ball sailed straight and true toward the left-field fence. The distance was measured at 125 meters. It was Kiwoom’s only run of the day.
It was Jang Jae-young’s first home run in the first team. Jang Jae-young jubilantly circled the bases, stepped on home plate, and exchanged high-fives with the coaching staff, including manager Hong Won-ki. However, the players turned away from him with indifferent gestures. Still, Jang Jae-young couldn’t help but smile. When the bases were loaded with one out, his teammates congratulated him on his home run.
Jang Jae-young took up the bat last month, officializing his switch to the outfield. A graduate of Galsancho, Seoul Shinwoljung, and Deoksugo, Jang joined the Kiwoom Heroes as the first pick in the 2021 KBO Rookie Draft. He received a contract worth 900 million won, and was expected to be a hard-throwing pitcher with a fastball that easily exceeded 150 kilometers.
However, while Jang possessed a powerful fastball, he struggled with his control and was unable to realize his full potential. In 19 games in 2021, Jang went 1-0 with a 9.17 ERA and no wins. In 17⅔ innings, he allowed 18 runs (18 earned) on 15 hits, 24 walks, three hit batsmen, and 14 strikeouts.
He then went 14-0 with a 7.71 ERA in the 2022 season. Last season, he went 1-5 with a 5.53 ERA in 23 games. He pitched a career-high 71⅔ innings. In his three professional seasons, Jang is 1-6 with a 6.45 ERA, totaling 103⅓ innings pitched, 101 hits (6 home runs), 97 walks, 12 hit batsmen, 100 strikeouts, and 76 runs (74 earned).
Jang hasn’t pitched on a first-team mound this season because of pain in his right elbow. In early May, he 카지노사이트 underwent an examination and was diagnosed with a severe medial collateral ligament injury in his elbow. It was determined that the ligament was 70 to 80 percent damaged. The hospital recommended surgery. However, Jang opted for rehabilitation instead of surgery and decided to change his position from pitcher to hitter.
The Kiwoom organization said, “Jang Jae-young was as talented at hitting as he was at pitching in Duksugo. Even in the professional league, he has been practicing batting during spring training, so it won’t take him long to adjust.” And, as the club explained, Jang is adapting to the position at an incredibly fast pace. He started playing in the Futures League last month, batting .232 with five home runs, 13 RBIs, and eight runs scored in 19 games.
Jang was already a highly touted hitter in high school. As a sophomore in high school, he hit .385. He followed that up with three home runs and 21 RBIs as a junior. In his three years of high school, he batted .350 (28 HR in 80 at-bats). In 2019, he was the No. 4 hitter at the World Youth Baseball Championship.
He was called up to the first team on April 20 against Cheongju Hanwha and finished his debut with a 1-for-1 performance with two hits, two walks and one run scored. He went 0-for-4 the previous day against Gochuk Lotte, but showed off his power by blasting a home run in his third game with the first team and ninth at-bat of the day. What will Jang Jae-young do for the rest of the season? Kiwoom fans are already looking forward to it.