KT Wiz, desperate to bolster its left-handed bullpen following the early retirement of “championship lefty” Cho Hyun-woo, has signed a college-aged left-hander released by the LG Twins.

“We have newly signed left-handed pitcher Sung Jae-heon (27) through a tryout,” a KT Wiz official said on Tuesday at KT Wiz Park in Suwon.

KT dispatched pitching coach Je Chun-mo and battery coach Jang Jae-jung to Seongnam High School in Seoul at the end of November last year to conduct a tryout for Sung. Seongnam High is Sung’s alma mater. After being released by the LG Twins, Sung threw a ball in front of the two coaches to extend his contract and received an emotional acceptance.

A KT official said, “He has a stable mechanic and a good feel for his changeup. He has a variety of pitches that can be pitched regardless of the type of batter,” said a KT official.

Born in 1997, Sung was selected by LG with the 73rd pick in the eighth round of the 2020 KBO Draft out of Seongnam High-Yonsei University. 안전놀이터 He was known as “Seongnam High’s Yoo Hee-kwan” during his amateur days, and even after turning pro, he continued to work his way up through the Futures League, catching the attention of then-manager Ryu Jung-il. In his rookie year, Sung was called up to the first team and pitched four games out of the bullpen with a 4.15 ERA (2 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings).

However, that would be the last time he played for the first team.

On September 10, 2020, he fulfilled his military obligations as a social service worker, and he bounced around the Futures League after being demobilized, never getting a chance. His Futures League record was also poor, with a 6.75 ERA in two games in 2022 and a 6.13 ERA in 17 games with three wins and three losses in 2023. Sung eventually became an independent last November after being informed by LG that he would not be re-signed.

KT has the most severe lefty famine among the 10 teams. Foreigner Wes Benjamin was the only left-hander on the 12-man pitching roster for last year’s Korean Series against LG. This was in stark contrast to LG, which had four lefties – Ham Deok-ju, Kim Yun-sik, Son Ju-young, and Lee Woo-chan. Lee Kang-chul said, “I wish they (LG) would give us one left-handed pitcher that they don’t use. We are desperate for one left-handed pitcher. Next year, we have to make or get a left-handed bullpen pitcher somehow,” Lee said.

However, KT did not add a left-handed bullpen in the Stobrigue.

While four-time championship ring winner Ham Deok-ju was available in free agency, they didn’t negotiate with him, instead selecting right-handed pitchers Woo Kyu-min and Lee Tae-gyu and infielder Kim Chul-ho in the second round of the draft. The long-awaited retirement of championship left-hander Choi Hyun-woo left the team without much left-handed pitching depth.

KT initially tried to find a left-handed pitcher through internal development, including Park Se-jin, Lee Jae-joo, and Kim Gun-woong, but the team was able to bolster its depth with the timely arrival of Sung Jae-heon, who has a stable fastball.

In addition to Sung, KT also signed right-hander Choi Soo-geun (28) through a tryout. Choi is a right-hander who joined LG as a developmental player in 2020 after attending Gongju Chungang University and fulfilled his military service obligation after being released by LG in October 2021. 파워볼사이트 추천 He hasn’t made a first-team appearance, but has a 3-1 record with six saves and five holds in 41 games in the Futures League with a 5.75 ERA.

A KT representative said, “Overall, he has a stable mechanics, and his delivery is consistent. He has good fastball control and slider movement,” said a KT representative, explaining why they passed on Choi.