After graduating from Gangneung High School, he was drafted by Lotte as the first choice in the second round of the rookie draft in 2021. He was picked as one of the left-handed troika along with Kia Tigers’ Lee Eui-ri and Samsung’s Lee Seung-hyun. Lee Eui-ri won the Rookie of the Year award in the first year after his debut, and Lee Seung-hyun became an indispensable pitcher in the Samsung primary league. Kim Jin-wook was also a pitcher who Lotte hoped would grow.메이저놀이터
He was selected as a starting pitcher from the 2021 season, the first year since his debut, but failed to save his performance. He allowed 22 runs in 18.1 innings, earning his earned run average (ERA) of 10.80.
He also had a chance as a starter in the 2022 season, but he recorded 2 wins and 5 losses and a 6.31 ERA in 12 games, changing his position to a relief pitcher at the end.
Last year, he played in 50 games as an interim pitcher alone. In the first half, he recorded two wins, one loss and eight holds with a 5.46 ERA in 37 games, but in the second half, he displayed a sharp drop in his physical strength to nine earned runs (9.72 ERA) in 13 games.
Kim Jin-wook himself made efforts by visiting the World Wing Training Center in Tottori Prefecture, Japan, during the off-season. He also tried to relax during the spring camp due to the coaching staff’s advice that he had a lot of thoughts. He played in two exhibition games and gave no run in 0.2 innings, but failed to make the opening entry in the end.
“If I have to use Kim Jin-wook, I think I have to use him as a starting pitcher. I have to use either Han Hyun-hee or Kim Jin-wook as a starting pitcher. I’m waiting for it now, but it’s not easy to use it as an intermediate pitch either. I can’t keep throwing balls because I have poor ball control,” Kim said before the match on Monday. “I don’t think I have faith in my head yet.”
Kim Jin-wook also has not shown good performance in the Futures League. He lost one game and posted an earned run average of 5.51 without a win in four games. He allowed 10 runs in 16.1 innings.
He started in a blue-and-white match held at Sangdong Stadium in Gimhae on Sunday. He worked in three innings and threw a total of 47 pitches. His maximum fastball speed ranged from 145 kilometers, and he evenly threw curves, sliders, and forks. However, he failed to display strong pitching that could instill faith in the coach.