Kiwoom Lee Jung-hoo won 5 batting crowns last season. And with a near unanimous vote (104 out of 107 votes), he was also selected as the best player of the season. Following his father, LG coach Lee Jong-beom, he won 5 batting titles and even MVP. The results and contents were astonishingly perfect. Although he reached the top position, Lee Jung-hoo chose to change. He made the difficult decision to change his batting stance.
It is to prepare in advance for the major league to challenge after this season.
The average fastball of major league pitchers is 151 km/h, about 7 km/h faster than Korea. The key is a leaner, quicker swing. He definitely intends to get used to it and then go to the major leagues. It is a well-known story that the world’s Ichiro completely overhauled the so-called ‘pendulum hitting’ before making his debut in Seattle in 2001. He makes his name known to the world at the World Baseball Classic, which opens next month, and goes to the major leagues after winning the trophy for his team, Kiwoom. This is Lee Jung-hoo’s picture of himself this year.
The following is a Q&A with Lee Jung-hoo, whom we met at the Arizona spring camp in the United States.
Q. How is your body now?
I started training quickly in the US, so my pace is faster than usual. I feel good because I met my colleagues after a long time and trained. I train in a good facility that doesn’t exist in Korea. The weather is good. The air is so nice and everything seems to be fine.
Q. Are you used to American food?
I try to eat Korean food only on weekends as much as possible, and I try to eat only local food on weekdays. I don’t eat Korean food as much as possible, I just eat tacos. Instead, I don’t eat hamburgers.
Q. You posted a training video on how to deal with fast balls on social media.
Using a pitching machine, he even hit a ball at 100 miles per hour (161 km). Looking at Ha-seong, who plays in San Diego, he saw about 270 balls from 96 mph to 103 mph (154-165 km) last season. I only saw 4 or 5 balls like this last season. I have to hit a ball I have never seen since I was born, so I am preparing to adapt well.
Q. Your batting stance has changed.
In the past, the legs were spread wide, but they were shortened. The position of his hand also lowered. In the past, the hand holding the bat went up above the ear, but now it is at chest level. Then you can get to the ball faster. I prepared to get rid of unnecessary motions in order to hit a fast ball. Since I have time, I think I will be able to adapt well if I continue to prepare from now on.
Q. Who helped?
Ha Sung-hyung told me that when he comes to America, he will have to make changes unconditionally. When he entered the US, he thought that it would be more helpful if he went in a state where he had established himself by changing things before he went, rather than changing them. He wants to do better this year than last year. I chose to change because I felt it was right to change something this season. Thank you for helping me a lot from Korea to coming to the United States. As many people have helped me, I want to repay you with good grades.
Q. Some people cite strength as Lee Jung-hoo’s weakness.
A lot can be a weakness. Actually, I’m not a hitter who hits long, so my power might be weak, and I might be weak against fast balls. Since I’m still young, I think I still have room to grow, so I don’t think it’s a weakness, but I just think I have to fill in some of my shortcomings. Rather than wanting to hit a lot of home runs, I only have thoughts of wanting to hit more concisely, more accurately, and stronger.
Q. Why did you select Boras as your agent?
I liked it from the first impression, and since I had no thoughts about the US in Korea, they took an interest in me and continued to follow me and contact me even though I said I wasn’t signing a contract at the time. Also, when I make a big decision, I tend to listen to my parents a lot, but my parents supported me well, so I made that decision.
Q. You were selected for the WBC national team. How are you feeling?
Since he has been called by the country, he thinks he must go. It feels a bit different from when I was a kid and I was on the national team. When I was young, I was really the youngest, but now I have more younger siblings than myself. I also feel that I need to become a pivotal player now. It’s not a burden, but I feel a sense of responsibility to do better.
Q. You were runner-up in the league last season, how about this year?
Of course it’s a win Of course it’s a win, and I don’t really want to do anything other than win. Last year, during the last game, we asked not to forget the sad feelings, but it seemed like we had forgotten a lot. I really can’t forget… Still, I hope we don’t forget the emotions we felt in the last game and prepare for the camp well so that we can always laugh at the last game. 온라인카지노
Q. What are your goals for this season?
I think injuries are the most important thing to realize my dreams, so my goal is to stay healthy for one season without injury. As for the rest of my personal records, of course, it would be nice to have good results, but if there were no injuries, I think the numbers I think will come out when the season is over.
Q. A word to the fans.
Now, baseball has started again, and this year, there is the WBC that baseball fans are really looking forward to, and there is the Asian Games in the middle. I will prepare well and go back to Korea so that I can show you.
