KT Wiz coach Lee Kang-cheol expected foreign pitcher Wes Benjamin (30) to play an active role.

Benjamin joined KT last season as a substitute foreign pitcher for William Cuevas. He achieved good results with 17 games (96⅔ innings) 5 wins and 4 losses with an earned run average of 2.70, and in the postseason also played an active part in two games (12 innings) 1 win and 1 loss with an earned run average of 3.00. After the season, he re-signed for $1.3 million.

Benjamin, who is challenging his first full-time season in the KBO League this season, is quickly picking up his pace from spring camp. He has already hit his highest speed of 147 km/h. Coach Lee Kang-cheol said that the pace was too fast and asked him to go slowly.

On the 7th (Korean time), Benjamin pitched in the bullpen during spring training at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, USA. Director Lee Kang-cheol, who watched Benjamin’s pitching satisfactorily, said, “It has been well-made overall. I like it so much that I wear it. Totally different from last year. He even contacted the general manager to say that when he was good, he found the number of rotations and angles, etc. At first, I thought it was just that, but when I came here, my cheeks were really different.” 메이저놀이터

After bullpen pitching, Benjamin approached coach Lee Kang-cheol and joked, “Please avoid your teammates in the national team’s practice game.” In response, coach Lee Kang-cheol laughed and said, “Please hit our hitters and catch all hitters from other teams.” Then, he laughed and asked, “You should never hit the hitters.”

At this point, it is highly likely that Benjamin will take on the first starting role in KT’s starting lineup this season. Coach Lee Kang-cheol expressed his intention to use Benjamin moderately, saying, “I am so happy to see him throwing now and I have experience.”