“Great! Real Good!”
October 6, 2022. On the day of the last home game of the Hanwha Eagles, at the Daejeon Hanwha Life Insurance Eagles Park, head coach Carlos Subero poured out high praise for the “monster rookie” Moon Dong-ju (20). On this day, coach Subero said, “There is no doubt about this player. One thing I want to say is that Moon Dong-ju is the best among all the players he has coached and coached. He also has a great baseball IQ. He is a player I have never seen before.”
Currently, Moon Dong-ju has grown to the point where it is said that the evaluation of coach Subero at the time was rather underestimated. He even comes up with the title of ‘monster pitcher’. Right now, the record proves his skills. On the 12th, Dong-ju Moon recorded 160.1 km (based on the pitch tracking system PTS) against the KIA Tigers in Gwangju, and was named the domestic pitcher who threw the fastest ball in the history of the KBO League. The fastest fastball thrown by a Korean pitcher was 158 km/h. On September 7, 2012, the maximum speed was 158.7 km per hour, which Lotte Choi Dae-seong threw against Hanwha’s Jang Seong-ho. Among active players, Ahn Woo-jin, Kiwoom’s ‘ace’, recorded 158.4 km per hour.
Moon Dong-ju, who wore a Hanwha uniform as the first nomination in the 2022 rookie draft, was immediately evaluated as a sense of power, with a 188 cm, 98 kg, 150 km fastball, and even a breaking ball. In an interview with the <Daejeon Ilbo> last month, Sohn Hyuk, general manager of the Hanwha Eagles, said, “I haven’t played in the pool yet (one season), but seeing how I am going now, Dong-ju Moon is looking forward to it.” He is a player who will lead our country for the next 10 years. I think this year and next year will be important to Moon Dong-ju.”
Born in Gwangju in 2003 and graduating from Hwajeong Elementary School, Mudeung Middle School, and Jinheung High School, Moon Dong-ju has been given several modifiers, such as ‘top prospect’ and ‘fiery fastball’. When he was in Jinheung High School, he threw a fastball that exceeded 155 km per hour, and the value of his name increased, and Hanwha showed great expectations by holding a contract of 500 million won only.
However, it took some time for his debut on the first team mound. The start of the season was delayed due to a side injury in the opening game, so he learned the atmosphere of the first team as a relief pitcher and moved to the starting position, but had to rest again due to a shoulder injury in June of last year. His debut performance in the first team was poor. On May 10 last year, in the game against LG in Jamsil, he had a bad news ceremony with 8 innings, 4 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout and 4 runs in ⅔ innings.
But the potential was clear. In high school, he mainly threw fastballs, but as a pro, he throws several breaking pitches such as circle changeups. It is said that he was handed down by Choi Won-ho, coach of the 2nd division. He has fast velocity and accurate control, so he has established himself as a pretty rough pitcher for batters. In fact, following a 5-inning scoreless victory against Daegu Samsung on the 6th, he made his debut first quality start with 6 innings and 2 runs against KIA on the 12th. His season record is very stable with 2 wins, 1 loss and an earned run average of 1.64.
Is there any way to attack such Moon Dong-ju? In an interview with Hanwha-Doosan held in Daejeon on the 18th, Doosan coach Lee Seung-yeop, who was greatly loved as a ‘national hitter’, said, “Moon Dong-ju is a very good pitcher.” Throw. We won’t get many chances. It’s hard to hit if you’re in really good condition, but if you’re a pro, you have to be able to hit even if it’s difficult.스포츠토토” He added, “The only strategy is for players to hit well. We can win only when we hit. I don’t think we have to shake or watch the ball a lot.”
Currently, there are evaluations that if Moon Dong-ju continues to grow well, he can play on the major league stage. Director Subero, who has watched Moon Dong-ju since his rookie days, said,In an interview with “Moon Dong-ju still has more to show. When he goes to a bigger stage (major league) in the future, he will become a very good big leaguer, not just a big leaguer. Not only Hanwha fans, but everyone who loves Korean baseball have their eyes on this player’s future. You can look forward to it,” he said.