The LG Twins recruited Kim Joo-on (28), a “150km fireballer” who suffered from being released from the SSG Landers. Attention is focusing on whether he will immediately show his ability to work in the first division stage with his full strength.
The LG Twins officially announced on the 21st that they have recruited right-handed pitcher Kim Joo-on.
Kim Ju-on, a right-hander who graduated from Ulsan Daehyeon Elementary School, Gumi Middle School and Ulsan Technical High School, joined the SK Wyverns in 2020 after being drafted 72nd overall in the 7th round in the 2015 2nd round of rookie drag. The down payment is 50 million won.
After completing his military service, Kim was selected by the SK Wyverns in the 2018 KBO second draft. He played in 29 games, the most in a career with the SK Wyverns in the 2020 season, recording three losses and an earned run average of 7.55. During 31 innings, he recorded 46 hits (five homers), 22 walks, and 27 runs (26 earned) with 18 strikeouts.
Since then, however, he has rarely had a chance to play. He played in two games in the 2021 season (two innings), five games in the 2022 season (four innings), and one game in the 2023 season (⅓ innings), respectively. He had eight hits (two homers) in four ⅔, three walks, four strikeouts and eight runs (eight earned) in two games this season.
Having rarely played in the primary league, he spent much of his time in the secondary league. This year, he had one win, two losses and one hold with an ERA of 2.78 in 10 Futures League games. His overall performance in the Futures League is 6-14 with five saves and seven holds with an ERA of 6.21 in 107 games.
LG is having difficulties managing its bullpen this season. Major bullpen resources such as Ko Woo-suk, Lee Jung-yong, and Ham Deok-joo left the team en masse due to entry into the Major League, enlistment, and surgery. On top of that, even Jung Woo-young and Baek Seung-hyun failed to find their positions in the team since the beginning of the season, failing to find a solid position. In fact, it is fair to say that Kim Jin-sung and Yoo Young-chan persisted in LG’s victory group. What’s encouraging is that Jung made a clean comeback in the game against KT in Jamsil on Sunday with two strikeouts per inning. On top of that, Baek is gradually recovering his ball power.
On top of that, if Kim Joo-on continues to show good performance in the Futures League, he can receive a call-up opportunity from manager Yeom Kyung-yeop. The two have already been together as coaches and players when Yeom was serving as the head coach of the SK Wyverns. Kim Joo-on’s best weapon is also a fastball that exceeds 150 kilometers. However, during the SSG period, he had difficulty controlling his control, and was eventually notified of his release. However, it was the LG Twins that reached out to him.
Yeom once praised Kim, saying, “When I was serving as the coach of SK, I would like to thank him for his great performance in the Futures League as well.” He would give a chance to Kim after carefully monitoring his performance. For now, Kim will likely spend time in the second division and wait for the coaching staff in the first division. Will Kim be able to achieve another baseball career in the LG Twins. 토토사이트
