Hanwha right-hander Jang Min-jae (33)’s winter was always with Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto). Following Ryu Hyun-jin, who was a close senior since Hanwha days, he continued to work together as a training partner in Okinawa, Japan, and Jeju Island every winter off-season for 7 years from 2016. 

In addition to one or two Hanwha juniors recommended by Jang Min-jae, a mini camp was held every winter, and Ryu Hyun-jin was responsible for all lodging expenses during the training period. Jang Min-jae said, “No matter how much money you have, it is not easy to support training every year. I am always grateful to Hyunjin hyung,” he said. 

Jang Min-jae’s winter was a little different from the previous year as Hyun-jin Ryu, who is recovering from elbow ligament surgery in June of last year, left for the United States early this month. As much as she received from Ryu Hyun-jin, she gave it back to her junior. He trained for 15 days in Gangjin, South Jeolla Province, with Nam Ji-min (22), a promising pitcher on the team who was 11 years old or younger. During this period, Jang Min-jae paid for all lodging expenses. 

“But I’m a senior…” Jang Min-jae smiled shyly, “It wasn’t a lot of money, but I only spent money on going to the sauna to eat, sleep, and occasionally go to the sauna. He asks Jimin a lot of things as usual. He said he wanted to learn how to exercise in the off-season, so we trained together in Daejeon in December and then in Gangjin in January. Although it was cold, he had no major problems in training. He had nothing to do but play baseball, so he went to town and had a cup of coffee. The two of them made up their bodies while breathing in the good air with a hungry spirit,” he said. 

Jang Min-jae and Nam Ji-min were the main players of Hanwha last year. Jang Min-jae, who controls the ball slowly but with stable command and forkball, had a career high season with 32 games (126⅔ innings) 7-8 and an average ERA of 3.55. Although he suffered, he showed his potential by throwing a fastball with a speed of up to 153 km.  먹튀검증

Jang Min-jae said, “It’s not because I’m a ball control pitcher, but if you’re a pitcher, you have to have control. Jimin has a lot of good things. To make the most of that advantage, you must have the ability to throw where you want. He taught me from the time I was playing catch to the practice of throwing exactly where I wanted to throw it,” he said. 

Hanwha has fixed three starters, including foreign pitchers Birch Smith, Felix Pena, and native first starter Kim Min-woo, but left the remaining 4 to 5 starters open to competition. Jang Min-jae has to compete with promising prospects Nam Ji-min and Moon Dong-ju, as well as Han Seung-hyuk and Lee Tae-yang, who joined as traders and free agents, respectively. In Hanwha, where fastball pitchers have increased dramatically, Jang Min-jae has his own unique color as a ‘slow ball pitcher’. Last year, whenever the team was in trouble, it came out as a stopper for consecutive losses, and Hanwha coach Carlos Subero is also highly trusted. 

Jang Min-jae, who also gets his first free agent qualification at the end of this season, said, “As always, I don’t think there is a place for me. Competition is more thrilling and fun. If you do what you have to do loosely, the tension will drop and there is a risk of getting hurt. As good players came, I was able to start with a little more tension and a new mindset, so it’s a good thing for me too.” I am confident that I will not fall behind the competition. If you analyze the opponent batters more and study how to catch them, you will have good results.”