“His charm is his fastball from a tall height.”
KIA Tigers will begin finishing training in Okinawa on the 31st. The final training members are already training at KIA Champions Field in Gwangju. However, Cho Dae-hyun (18, Gangneung High School), a first-round pick in the 2024 rookie draft, was missing from this list. It was as if I had seen the Yoon Young-cheol case a year ago.굿모닝토토
When KIA selected Yoon Young-cheol a year ago, they did not take him to Jeju Island final training. This is because he threw a lot of balls all year as the ace of Chungam High School. He appeared several times on youth national team schedules and on JTBC’s Strongest Baseball. At the time, the former team leader said that he planned to have Yoon Young-cheol not catch the ball at all until the end of the year. In fact, Yoon Young-cheol thoroughly prepared for the 2023 season through recovery-focused training without catching the ball.
There appears to be a similar reason why KIA excluded Cho Dae-hyun from finishing training. Cho Dae-hyun played 63 innings in 19 official high school competitions this season, recording 7 wins and an average ERA of 1.29. An overwhelming ratio of 77 strikeouts and 28 walks.
However, Dae-Hyun Cho pitched only 10 games and 16⅓ innings as a sophomore. This is a case where velocity and skills have improved dramatically this season. The youth national team schedule was also completed. KIA is expected to give Cho Dae-hyun a training schedule centered on rest rather than forcing him to go to Okinawa.
In any case, he is a promising pitcher that KIA should take special care of. He was a valuable starting right-hander for KIA and started throwing balls over 150 km. A KIA official recently told the KIA YouTube channel Gya TV, “He is a right-handed fireballer for the youth national team. There was no reason not to pick him. His physical condition (193cm) is very good. “He recruited me because I saw his potential.”
The assessment is that he doesn’t have immediate power, but big pitcher Yang Hyun-jong also didn’t do well as a rookie. A KIA official said, “The physical condition is very good. If his weight increases, it looks like he will be able to pitch in the mid-150km range. “He is a player whose peak is much higher than what he is now.”
The highest fastball speed that Daehyun Cho revealed to Gya TV is 151km. If he improves further in this velocity, he can become KIA’s leading right-handed fireballer. As for his strengths, he said, “My charm is the fastball that I hit from a tall height.” In fact, his height of over 190cm can be a great advantage if used well.
Cho Dae-hyun told Gya TV, “Professionals and amateurs will have different exercise methods. The way to control your condition will also be different. “Choi Ji-min and Kim Seon-woo are seniors at Gangneung High School, and they are essential players,” he said. Even if he doesn’t go to Okinawa, Daehyun Cho has a lot to feel, learn, and master. KIA’s Cho Dae-hyun training project has quietly begun.