Although he could not participate in the overseas spring camp, Lee Jae-hak (33, NC Dinos) is talking about hope.
On the 3rd, Lee Jae-hak met with Star News at the Masan Baseball Stadium where NC’s C team (2nd team) spring camp was held and said, “It’s a bit unfortunate that I couldn’t go (to the Arizona camp), but the coach trusts me and I have experience with domestic camps, so I’m spending it with a good heart.” said.
On the 29th of last month, 43 NC players will depart for Tucson, Arizona, USA, and will conduct a 39-day field training. However, there was no Lee Jae-hak’s name here. It was his first time since joining NC. Instead, he is sweating at the Masan Baseball Stadium where the 2nd Army camp is held.
Director Kang In-kwon (51) said he apologized to Lee Jae-hak before leaving, saying, “I’m sorry I couldn’t go with you.” Coach Kang continued, “I wanted to see the young players in person.” At the same time, he left a request that “he should be prepared as a starting pitcher.” Lee Jae-hak smiled, saying, “The director said so, so he can prepare more firmly.” 메이저사이트
The fact that this is not the first domestic camp is also a positive factor for Lee Jae-hak. He, who has been training in Changwon for the past two years due to Corona 19, said, “I think it’s worth doing because I’ve been doing it in Korea recently.” “He’s weak against the cold,” he joked, saying, “I still have to do it because I’m a professional player.”
Lee Jae-hak, who joined NC as a founding member in 2012, played an active role with only one NC team winning 76 wins until last year. Last season, however, he faltered with a 3-8 record and a 4.75 earned run average in 26 games. As shown in his batting average (0.224), he still had the same pitch, but he gave up 5.34 walks per 9 innings, and his pitches faltered.
Looking back on a season, Lee Jae-hak, who said, “The ups and downs of control were severe,” aimed to supplement control this camp as well. At the same time, he wanted a simultaneous rise in technology and mentality. Lee Jae-hak said, “I can say ‘confidently, aggressively’,” and “If the technique is not good, it will not be an offensive pitch.” He continued, “I have to develop my skills and throw them where I want to gain confidence.”
Coach Kang put him on the list of starting candidates, but Lee Jae-hak said he would pitch regardless of position. When asked about concerns about switching to the bullpen, he said, “I think the word came out because I was sluggish when I went to the finisher for a while after starting in the first year of the NC 1 team (2013).” He said, “Last year, the position changed at all, so there was no awkwardness as he threw with the thought of being a middle pitcher.”
Lee Jae-hak signed a 2 + 1 year free agent (FA) contract with the club at the end of last year, 12 years after joining the pro, for a total of 900 million won. It must have been nerve-wracking, but he didn’t shake much. Lee Jae-hak showed a firm reaction, saying, “I don’t have a big meaning, I just think it’s just continuing to play baseball the same way.”
As the location has not been decided yet, Lee Jae-hak’s goal was not a specific figure. He said, “Rather than ‘I will win a few games’ like in the past, I want to pitch my own pitches and show good performances.” He then expressed his earnest desire, saying, “I want to pitch better than when I was good,” and “I really, really want to do that.”