He made his debut season as a coach April batting average 0.167 → June 0.309 vertical rise + lead-off promotion...The power of the secret of coaching the head coach himself

Jul 06, 2025

NC Joo-won for the interview. Reporter Kim Young-rok

Juwon Kim is signing uniforms for fans. Reporter Kim Young-rok

The NC-Hanwha match held at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 3rd. Kim Joo-won, who scored on Oh Young-soo's hit with one out and runners on the first and third bases in the top of the first inning, is welcomed. Daejeon = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.3/

"I'm going to push until the end of this season. You have to settle down in the table setter so I can live as well."

He took the first step toward success by challenging his long-cherished debut season as a coach. NC Dinos' Kim Joo-won is about to completely remove the tag of 'promising stock'.

NC manager Lee Ho-joon vowed to use Kim Joo-won as the second batter before the season. Judging that he is quick on his feet, has a shot, and has the ability to carry out operations if necessary.

In the meantime, he was mainly considered to hit 'Relaxed' in the lower batting order. However, as a result, he hit double-digit homers for two consecutive seasons from 2022-2023, and although he had nine homers last year, he raised his OPS (on-base plus slugging) to 0.750 (on-base plus slugging).

Coach Lee Ho-joon judged that it is time to overcome the batting order and physical burden as Kim Joo-won is already in his fifth year as a professional, has acquired a military license through the Hangzhou Asian Games, and has since been reborn as a regular shortstop for the national team.

No. 1 may be a bit of a burden, but since it is a switch heater, it was also easy to make batting order if placed on No. 2. He also recommended abandoning the prejudice of dealing with the switch heater and making an anomaly by entering the same hand at-bat if necessary depending on his batting sense or situation. It is typical to aim for the first and third bases through hits and runs by entering the left at-bat in situations such as runners on first base.

A game between the LG Twins and the NC Dinos at Jamsil Stadium on the 18th. NC Kim Joo-won is cheering after hitting a timely hit with two outs and second base in the top of the fourth inning. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.06.18/

The beginning of the season was a hardship. There was a sign of being weighed down by the pressure. There was also hesitation in the swing. Rather than displaying his good pioneering vision, he was full of worries that he should see more of the ball. Until April, he had a batting average of only .20 (20 hits in 100 times at bat) and only .167 for one month in April.

Still, coach Lee Ho-joon pushed hard. Kim Ju-won opened his eyes little by little from May (batting rate of 269 percent). During the month of June, he was reborn as a .300 hitter (399 lei), and the OPS (on-base plus slugging) was raised to 0.8.

In particular, even though the leadoff has been raised since mid-June, the steps are light. It is continuing a good trend in July. Regarding Kim Joo-won's rise, head coach Lee Ho-joon also did 'Seungjin' with the leadoff, and only things to do well in the future are left. He stressed that he has grown into a batter who can hit one to three times.

The game between the NC Dinos and the Hanwha Eagles at Munsu Baseball Stadium in Ulsan on the 21st. NC manager Lee Ho-joon welcomes Kim Joo-won, who scored. Ulsan=Park Jae-man Reporter pjm@sportschosun.com/2025.05.21/

Regarding the table-setter mission assigned by the head coach, Kim Joo-won said, `I thought we could grow one step further only when we overcome the burden. The process of learning how to hit according to the situation"

As the batting order changes, the notable part is the steal. It achieved double-digit stolen bases (10) for the first time in 2022, followed by 15 in 2023 and 16 last year, and the first half of this year was not over, but it has already done 22.

The steady rise in the on-base rate is also noticeable, but the quantitative increase in the at-bat itself due to the adjustment of batting order also had a big impact. Kim Joo-won started the season with the idea that he should try a lot of stealing, and the results seem to be coming out," he said with a smile. I once thought about settling down at the left at-bat, but now I am hitting both at-bats without any inconvenience.

"I'm working as if I'm tightening my back legs once in the preparation position." If you put the center at the back, it's a big help in the part where you don't swing hastily."

In particular, coach Lee Ho-joon's "Song Sung Moon-sik Routine" had a significant impact on Kim Joo-won's lackluster escape. The advice is to take the batter's box thinking of folding a hinge on the back leg in the batting preparation movement. As a result, the swing that came out of the hand has changed hastily, and the performance is improving as the body rotates.

The match between SSG Landers and NC Dinos at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 13th. NC Kim Joo-won is cheering after hitting a solo shot with one out in the top of the first inning. Incheon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.05.13/

This is the key to the batting that head coach Lee Ho-joon directly asked Song Sung-moon. "A 150km fastball needs to be naturally hit by its power." He also added his own know-how, "If you try to fight back, it's like hitting 170 and 180km fastballs." He said "Most of the players can't do it even if they tell us. The secret to being a good baseball player is to understand it perfectly and learn it quickly."

He will play as a coach-recommended player in the All-Star Game, behind Park Chan-ho of the KIA Tigers. Kim Joo-won laughed, saying, `I can't help it because Chan-ho (Park) is so high in skills, grades, and popularity.' and added, `I want to be the best 12 someday. It's more meaningful because the fans are picking it."

He is one of the most popular players in the team, which is revealed in uniforms and player card sales. It is a native franchise star that NC has worked hard to raise.

The match between SSG Landers and NC Dinos at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 13th. NC shortstop Kim Joo-won is defending. Incheon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.05.13/

He also has impressive footwork and defense from his strong shoulders. However, there are not a few mistakes yet. Kim Joo-won said, `It's not helping the pitchers a lot in defense. I want to improve my defense so that I can be more satisfied with myself` he whipped himself.

"When you're conscious of other players, you're bound to get anxious." I think it's counterproductive to myself. Rather, if I improve my skills, my grades will naturally follow. I haven't had a triple-digit hit yet since my debut, but I really want to have more than 100 hits this year."

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.