Gu Chang-mo (26, NC Dinos), who is expected to be the new ‘ace’ of the baseball team, began full-scale preparations for the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) to be held in March.
From the 2nd (local time), Gu Chang-mo is training at NC’s spring camp, which started in Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Koo Chang-mo, who was also selected for the WBC national team, will move to the national team camp from the 15th of this month. Since the camp site of the national team is also the same, it is expected that there will be no big crowds.
However, he is improving his condition at a faster pace than other players on his team.
In his first pitching, Koo Chang-mo threw 30 pitches with 80% intensity. He is preparing to hit 50 pitches before joining the national team.
One of the biggest challenges for pitchers joining the WBC national team is adapting to the official ball. The Major League (MLB) official ball used in the WBC may feel a little slippery compared to the KBO League official ball, so the feeling of using a changing ball may change.
So, on the first day of camp, Gu Chang-mo asked foreign pitchers for advice. Eric Peddy and Taylor Widener, NC’s new foreign players, are both ‘active major leaguers’ who played in the big leagues until last year.
Peddie and Widener kindly explained the difference between major league ball types and tips for using slippery balls.
Meanwhile, pitcher Lee Yong-chan and outfielder Park Gun-woo, who were selected for the national team along with Koo Chang-mo, are also quickly picking up the pace.
Lee Yong-chan, who will play an active role as the national team’s bullpen pitcher, digested 30 pitches on the first day of camp, just like Koo Chang-mo. Lee Yong-chan plans to improve his condition more quickly than Koo Chang-mo and aim for 70 before joining the national team. 스포츠토토
Outfielder Park Kun-woo is currently in 70-80% condition. At the point of joining the national team, he aims to create a physical condition that can be played immediately.