“My pitching style is to fight with the batter. Sometimes I lose, but when I win, it’s really thrilling.”
It is ever-changing, unpredictable. The average pitcher has a fastball rate of over 60%, and he has a higher rate of splitters (41.3%) than fastballs (40.7%) (see Stats). And he fills in the other 20% or so with curves and sliders. Although the average speed of the fastball is only 136.9 km per hour, it protects the mound with exquisite control and ball mixing.
Based on this skill, he digested 126.2 innings last year, the second most in his team, and played an active part with 7 wins and an average ERA of 3.55. He was a middle pitcher at the start, but after being included in the rotation at the end of April, he was the most consistent of the starting pitchers. This is the story of Hanwha veteran starting pitcher Jang Min-jae (33).
It’s not an easy road. For a pitcher who throws 150 km, he doesn’t have to mix pitches complicatedly. The location is not too much of a burden. He is so-called that he can overwhelm batters with power even without throwing a tight ball. However, Jang Min-jae’s path is the opposite. You must use all areas of the strike zone, and mix pitches with four pitches like two pitches to confuse the batter. If he engages in psychological warfare with a splitter planted in his batter’s head, his winning rate rises dramatically.
Jang Min-jae, who is currently preparing for the new season in Mesa, Arizona, USA, said, “The process of getting here was not easy. After joining his pro team, he experienced many failures and setbacks. It took me a long time to find my way,” he said. “Basically, I think, ‘If the pitcher throws accurately, the batter can’t hit accurately.’ Keeping these words in my head, I prepare for the game and get on the mound. I pitch a little more elaborately, a little deeper, and sometimes a little more immersive. This is my style,” he explained of his pitching.
It is different from the preparation process. Jang Min-jae has saved all the game data he has pitched over the past few years on his tablet PC메이저사이트. He creates folders for each opponent team and looks back at past matches for the next opponent. And he analyzes the recent batting contents of the opposing team’s batters and completes his own ‘game plan’ before the start.
“I’m not doing everything by myself,” he said. Coach Lee Dong-geol and Coach Rosado help me a lot. In addition, Lee Sang-woo, a power analyst, is also receiving great help. I can say with certainty that I would not be where I am today without the three of you. “I always rely on the three people a lot,” he said. “Based on the data I gathered before the game, I have a meeting for about an hour and discuss a lot. That way it stays well in my head during the game.”
In addition, he said that the splitter ratio is over 40%, “I use that part to the fullest. Hitters against me can’t help but think of the splitter. Combining fast balls, curves, and sliders at the timing of throwing the splitter. If your opponent seems to think of a fast ball, throw a splitter. My pitching style is a head fight with the hitter. There are times when I lose, but when I win, it’s really thrilling.”
At first, many people put question marks on it. Coach Carlos Subero also faced the season without Jang Min-jae from the starting lineup for the past two years. However, Jang Min-jae saved the starting lineup by taking advantage of the small opportunity that came to him. Regarding the exclusion of Jang Min-jae from the selection, Subero said, “It’s a really big mistake I made. This year, Jang Min-jae will be in the opening rotation.”
Jang Min-jae said, “I am grateful that the director said so. I want to repay him. The coach acknowledged it, so I felt good from the start of this year’s camp,” he said. “I am not a great pitcher. Still, I want to become a pitcher who can do what I have to do. Good foreign pitchers came this year, and free agents also came. I feel like I can share the burden. If I do my job well and support the young players well, our team will change as well. I believe it will definitely be a better season than last year,” he looked at the new season.