‘Success’ from catcher to pitcher… The special ballads are evolving again “10-win challenge, no fall”
He has evolved from an excellent catcher to an excellent pitcher. And it doesn’t stop here, it doesn’t settle down. Lotte Giants Na Kyun-an (25) is trying to write another success story with the responsibility of a billionaire.
Last year, Kyun-an Na played an active role in 39 games (13 starts), 117⅔innings, 3 wins, 8 losses, 2 holds, an average ERA of 3.98, 123 strikeouts, 37 walks, and a WHIP of 1.38. He posted a 4.16 earned run average with 3 wins and 6 losses in 13 games, 71⅓ innings, as a starter, and a 3.69 earned run average with 2 holds, 2 losses, and 2 holds in 26 games, 46⅓ innings, with the bullpen.
The WAR (contribution to win over substitute) figure was 1.94, which was the third among Lotte pitchers after Charlie Barnes (3.01) and Koo Seung-min (2.42). It recorded 2.48 based on Sports 2 I. It was also third after Barnes (3.69) and Park Se-woong (2.95).
It’s been 3 years since I switched from catcher to pitcher. Now, he has been reborn as a reliable ‘man you can trust’ that is indispensable to Lotte’s pitching staff. In particular, last year, he showed a high level of contribution while playing the role of a ‘yard key’ by moving various positions needed by the team, such as selection and bullpen. Na Kyun-an mentioned the symbolism and responsibility of a billion-dollar annual salary. He said, “I feel like I have a sense of responsibility. I have to work harder here. It seems to have been done,” he explained, “because it is just the beginning, I have a desire to achieve the goal I want to do.”
In recognition of these contributions, Na Gyun-an’s annual salary jumped from 58 million won last year to 109 million won. He entered the first billion-dollar annual salary of his debut with an 87.9% increase.
Last year, I fulfilled various positions, but this year I want to proudly show off my true face as a starting pitcher. He stressed, “I shouldn’t get hurt, but my personal goal is to take a chance as a starting pitcher, win 10 or more games, and throw regular innings 안전놀이터.” He is ready to take on the difficult bullpen pitching mission of Pitching Coach Bae Young-soo. Coach Bae Young-soo decided to set up a 1-ball-1-strike situation and impose a penalty if pitchers fail to throw a strike. In the end, I heard the whip of returning home early from camp. Na Gyun-an throws strikes well with a strike rate of 65.3% last year and 9.41 strikeouts per 9 innings, but I know this is a way to increase concentration at camp. He said, “It may be unfamiliar and difficult because it is the first attempt, but there must be a reason why the coach is doing it.” “It seems to be the most focused part to play in the first team. It’s a big question to be able to put on a performance, but they seem to think that such an environment needs to be set up in order to do it. If you understand their intentions well, it will be helpful enough,” revealing his belief in the pitching staff’s customized training and coach Bae Young-soo.
As a pitcher, he seemed to have developed know-how in managing his body. I pitched a lot of innings last year, but I prepared for the camp by steadily oiling up. Na Kyun-an emphasized, “Reckless rest is not recovery. I exercised steadily and did everything I could. I moved a lot, did weight training and ran a lot, and recovered a lot.”
The pitching staff is undergoing the most intense training ever under the guidance of training coach Kim Hyun-wook. He laughed, “I expected it to be difficult, but it exceeded my expectations.” He continued, “Since the final camp, I lost weight naturally, so now I’m trying to maintain it, and I’ve lost more weight since I came to camp. Since camp is so hard, I think I’ll naturally lose more weight.”
