"When I couldn't take my eyes off a player's pitching while watching the pitchers' bullpen pitching, I asked the employee who was collecting tracking data how much arrest I would get." "It's about 140 kilometers," manager Lee said, tilting his head, "No, it feels faster." It wasn't meant to be negative, but there was a feeling of expectation. Manager Lee looked at Han, saying, "He is a player who can be used as a starter if he builds up a little more."안전놀이터

The pitcher who surprised Lee was right-hander Cheon Beom-seok (19), who was nominated in the fourth round (38th overall) of the SSG in the 2025 Rookie Draft. After graduating from Gangneung High School and receiving the professional nomination, Cheon was highly anticipated as a starting player for a long time. "He has been in charge of the team's mound since his sophomore year. He has good experience as a starting pitcher and has good game management," a club source said.

After receiving the nomination, Cheon participated in the wrap-up camp held in Kagoshima, Japan in November last year, and as a rookie, he got the opportunity to participate in the first spring camp, which is a needle hole. This means that the expectations of the team are quite clear. Cheon's greatest strength is his heavy pitching. The ball continues to live to the end, to the extent that he felt it faster than the actual speed. Catchers who receive the ball also say, "The ball is very heavy."

This is also evident in the objective tracking data. What surprised everyone in the Florida camp measurement was the vertical movement of the fastball. "Only Cho and Seo Jin-yong have recorded better records than Cheon's vertical movement," a club official said. "This is when Noh is at his best." Cho and Seo have some of the best vertical movements in the league. This means that the ball goes in much higher than the imaginary line that falls under the influence of gravity, and as a batter, the ball comes into life and sometimes feels like it is rising.

Fast ball speed still needs to rise a little more, but expectations are high that he can be a complete starter, such as throwing sliders and changeups well. On top of that, his ball control is also evaluated as stable compared to his peers, and there is also an image of a fighting chicken that is good at winning against his body. As he is a player with many advantages, it is highly likely that SSG will foster Cheon Bum-seok as the next generation starter without rushing to think about it.

Participating in the first-team camp itself means a lot to Cheon. "I was a little nervous at first because some seniors were new to me. But now I'm working out in peace," Cheon said. "I did a lot of weight training in Ganghwado Island. When I was in high school, I didn't do much weight training. I felt that I was a little weaker than the current hyungs, so I did a lot of weight training during the closing camp and the off-season."

The feeling of throwing the ball itself is good. I am not sick at all. Watching high-quality seniors pitching in the first-team camp, he is also completing assignments. "I want to increase my speed more than now. I want to sharpen my breaking balls," Cheon said. As he has heavy balls around him, expectations are high that if the ball increases further, he will be able to display much stronger pitching capabilities. As it is not a problem that will be solved in a short period of time, everyone is expected to watch it patiently.

Cheon expressed his strong desire to play in the first division as soon as possible. "I want to play in the first division as soon as possible. If I take the mound like that, I will continue to play in the upcoming season," he said. Cho was also recognized for his good movement and strength when he was a rookie, but it took time to build his strong pitching capability. As his innate quality is as good as that of Cho, the team is paying attention to whether he will be able to follow the path.