Whimungo ace Kim Hwi Gun showed off a powerful fastball that topped out at 148 kilometers per hour, but struggled with his control.
It was a game that showed both strengths and weaknesses for Whimungo’s third-year ace, Kim Hwi Gun.
Kim started the game against Gunsan Sanggo in the quarterfinals of the Presidential High School Baseball Tournament at Mokdong Baseball Stadium in Seoul on August 8.
After a scoreless first inning, Kim struggled with his control in the second inning and gave up a leadoff double to Gunsan Sango’s first batter, Park Chan-woo. He struck out the next batter, Lee Jun-woo, to end the threat.
In the top of the fourth inning, he gave up a hit by pitch to Park Joo-sung and a walk to Choi Siwon, leaving runners on first and second with no outs. His total pitch count was 68.
It was a disappointing pitching performance. He showed off a powerful fastball, reaching 148 kilometers, but he struggled with his control and gave up back-to-back singles.
Against Gunsan Sango, Kim pitched 3+ innings, giving up 3 hits, 5 walks, and 3 runs.
Whimungo right-handed ace Kim Hwi-geon is aiming for a first-round selection in the KBO 2024 First-Year Player Draft, which will be held next month on September 14. Earlier this year, he was a hard-throwing prospect who was expected to be a top pick, but he has slipped a bit in the rankings after revealing issues with velocity anxiety.
He has a big enough ball to be effective in the pros, but he’ll need to work on his velocity issues, which are often caused by sudden jerks.
Bite your lip and pitch hard.
Kim is a right-handed orthodox pitcher with a big frame at 191 centimeters and 105 kilograms. His fastball has been clocked in the low 150s and he has a variety of pitches, including a slider and changeup.
There are a lot of good pitchers in this year’s high school class that could be the first overall pick.
Masan Yongmago’s Jang Hyun-seok, who was a shoo-in for the No. 1 pick, is headed to the United States. Hwang Jun-seo of Jangchung and Kim Taek-yeon of Incheon are in the running for the second spot. Other good pitchers such as Cho Dae-hyun (Gangneung), Yuk Sun-yeop (Jangchung), and Jeon Mir (Gyeongbuk) are also challenging for a first-round selection.
Kim Hwi-gun pitched well against Ansan Gonggo in the round of 16 of the President’s Cup, striking out four in three innings. However, in the quarterfinals against Gunsan Sango, he showed his strengths and weaknesses as he struggled with his control.토토사이트
He suffered an 11-1 cold-game loss to dark horse Gunsan Sango in the sixth inning, and was unable to advance to the quarterfinals.