Former SSG Landers coach Kim Won-hyung, who returned from training in Japan, is preparing to go to the U.S. to learn more. He plans to study pitching theory and mechanisms at the Driveline Center, an institution for training pitchers.스포츠토토

Coach Kim Won-hyung recently told News 1, "With the help of Kim Sung-geun, I learned a lot during my six-month stint as a coach for the Japanese Softbank Hawks. I thought I needed more learning, so I made a plan to go to the U.S. next year."

Kim led SSG in 2022 and won the wire-to-wire title (the title he garnered without giving up the first place from the beginning to the end). In 2023, he ranked third in the regular season.

Although he did not perform badly as a manager for two years, he was notified of his replacement by the club on October 31 last year.

Kim, who had stayed at home for a while to soothe his tired mind and body, wore the Softbank uniform at the recommendation of Kim Sung-keun. It was not an official coaching contract, and he participated in training for the 3rd and 4th tier teams for one season. Naturally, there was no compensation.

Kim, who has always been fiercely active and a leader since he started playing baseball, used this period as a learning period. I also felt difficulty living abroad for the first time without a family, but I learned a lot over the year.

"Softbank's infrastructure was beyond our imagination. It is the only team among the 12 teams that will play against an independent league team," former coach Kim said. "Wonak has a wide pool of players, so it will be an environment to nurture rookie players in the military for two to three years, and I was just envious."

"It was also interesting to conduct quarterly tests for each player. In the case of pitchers, we check whether they can accurately put the ball in the designated place and set steps 1 to 20," he said. "As the results are shared with the first-team coaches, the motivation of the players is inevitable."

Up until then, Kim was a big fan of the team. Since then, however, Kim has talked in a strong tone to players who failed to match his expectations. However, he changed his mind after seeing the Softbank leaders.

"Actually, I was very passionate about coaching, so I often treated the players strongly, but I think I only thought about my position. The players might have had a hard time," he said. "At Softbank, the team's leader is more horizontal than Korea's. When I return to the team, I will change my coaching style."

With growing passion for learning, Kim plans to go to the Driveline Center early next year. The Driveline Center is a baseball training pitching center in Kent, Washington.

Based on the physiology of exercise, the team has created efficient pitching design that matches a player's body shape. Not only KBO teams but also MLB teams have even sent pitchers to this team.

Former coach Kim said, "If I studied the overall development system in Japan, I'm going to study pitching more directly in the United States," adding, "I heard it's not easy for a leader to go and learn, unlike a player, but I'm contacting him with the help of NC Dinos coach Lee Yong-hoon."

"After studying a lot until 2025, I will come back to the field. It is a process to return to the field until next year," he said. "I want to build up my capabilities and then coach the players passionately once again where they need me."