The Asian Games are not the end of the season?
Hanwha coach Choi Won-ho said of Moon Dong-joo’s innings limit, “It is important to listen to medical opinion.” However, in the end, it follows the 120 innings limit initially set by the club. Moon Dong-ju ends the season with the game against LG in Jamsil on the 3rd. (It was originally scheduled to be a game against LG in Jamsil on the 2nd, but Ricardo Sanchez went out first.)먹튀검증
Coach Won-ho Choi detailed Moon Dong-ju’s future schedule during the three-game series against KIA in Gwangju last weekend. When Moon Dong-joo completes his last appearance after 114⅔ innings, he will be sent to the second team to rest for a while, then improve his condition again and pitch in the bullpen before being called up to the Hangzhou Asian Games national team scheduled for the 22nd.
The reality of the ‘perfect 4-week plan’ from when the national team is called up, to finding a sense of actual performance through practice games, and to participating in the competition in early October. Coach Choi also joked that he seemed to be managing it like a pitcher who went straight to the Korean Series. He initially expected 120 innings + α, including the Asian Games.
However, a powerful variable arose. The 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) will be held at Tokyo Dome in Japan from November 16th to 19th. Moon Dong-ju was included in the preliminary list recently announced by the KBO. It is unknown whether he will be included in the final list, but it seems unlikely that Moon Dong-joo, who has extraordinary talent and potential, will not be selected among prospects under the age of 24 or with less than three years of experience.
If Moon Dong-joo goes to the APBC, he will have to rest again after the Asian Games in early October and work on improving his body condition. This means that after his last appearance on the 3rd, he will have to go through the process of preparing for the Asian Games once again.
In this case, the 120 innings limit may become meaningless. Hanwha’s decision to limit Moon Dong-joo’s innings was taken into account that he suffered frequent injuries during his rookie season and had never played long-term races. It is a kind of consideration that allows you to finish the season quickly and give yourself enough time to take care of your body.
However, if he goes to the APBC, he will end up finishing the season later than the pitchers who go to the Korean Series. Even so, if the regular season ends after three days of games, he will be taking on losses in the Rookie of the Year race. Moon Dong-joo, with 8 wins, 8 losses, and an ERA of 3.62, is first in the Rookie of the Year race, but it is not enough to guarantee that he will win the award. For the remaining one month, he will be chased by competitors such as Yoon Young-cheol (KIA).
Moon Dong-ju/My Daily
Moreover, if season innings accumulate in APBC, the 120 innings initially set by the club may become virtually meaningless. Right now, if Moon Dong-ju pitches just 5⅔ innings in his last appearance, he has 120 innings. Then he will definitely exceed 120 innings in the Asian Games. Even if you take it to that extent, APBC can be a burden.
Hanwha cannot directly determine the APBC list. Although Moon Dong-joo will finish the KBO League regular season faster than anyone else, there is a possibility that he will finish the 2023 schedule later than anyone else. Hanwha may need to reexamine the Moon Dong-joo management roadmap.