Jeong Keun-woo explained

Jeong Keun-woo
Position:Second baseman
Team:LG Twins
Number:8
Bats:Right
Throws:Right
Birth Date:2 October 1982
Birth Place:Pusan, South Korea
Debutleague:KBO
Debutyear:2005
Debutdate:April 2
Debutteam:SK Wyverns
Statyear:2020 season
Statleague:KBO
Stat1label:Batting average
Stat1value:.302
Stat2label:Home runs
Stat2value:121
Stat3label:RBI
Stat3value:722
Stat4label:Stolen bases
Stat4value:371
Teams:
Highlights:
Hangul:정근우
Hanja:鄭根宇
Rr:Jeong Geun-u
Mr:Chŏng Kŭn-u

Jeong Keun-woo (Hanja: 鄭根宇; born October 2, 1982) is a former second baseman and shortstop who last played for the SK Wyverns, Hanhwa Eagles, and LG Twins in the Korea Baseball Organization.[1] He bats and throws right-handed.

Amateur career

Jeong attended Busan High School in Busan, South Korea. In 1999, he was selected for the South Korea national junior team and participated in the 1999 World Junior Baseball Championship held in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. In 2000, he was selected again for the South Korea national junior team that won the 2000 World Junior Baseball Championship in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He led the attack alongside future pro baseball stars Choo Shin-soo, Kim Tae-kyun and Lee Dae-ho, batting .333 with 3 RBIs as a starting second baseman.

Upon leaving high school, Jeong was considered the top infielder prospect for the 2001 KBO Draft, but went undrafted. Instead, he played college baseball at Korea University.

In his sophomore year at Korea University, he made his first appearance for the South Korea national baseball team at the 2002 Intercontinental Cup, where they claimed the silver medal.

In November 2003, Jeong competed for the South Korean national team as an amateur player again in the 2003 Baseball World Cup. In the tournament, he batted .308 with 2 home runs and 10 RBIs, leading the team in RBI. In Team Korea's second game against Russia, he went 5-for-6 with a home run and 5 RBIs to lead his team to a 26-3 victory.

In 2004, as a senior he participated in the 2nd World University Baseball Championship and led his team to the bronze medal, winning the RBI title.

Notable international careers

YearVenueCompetitionTeamIndividual Note
1999World Junior Baseball Championship5th
2000World Junior Baseball Championship.333 BA (9-for-27), 3 RBI
2002Intercontinental Cup.294 BA (5-for-15)
2003Baseball World Cup8th.308 BA (12-for-39), 2 HR, 10 RBI, 9 R
2004World University Baseball Championship1st in RBI

Professional career

Drafted by the SK Wyverns in the second round (15th overall) of the 2005 KBO Draft, Jeong made his pro league debut on April 2, 2005. He had a disappointing rookie season, managing only a .193 batting average.

However, the next season he batted .284 with 45 stolen bases (2nd in the league) and 122 hits, and won the KBO League Golden Glove Award at second base. After the 2006 KBO season, Jeong was selected for the South Korea national team, and won a bronze medal at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar.

Jeong had a .323 batting average (4th in the league) in the 2007 KBO season, the first season of a .300-plus batting average, leading his team to the Korean Series Championship. As a member of the South Korea national team, he competed in the 2007 Asian Baseball Championship and 2008 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament.

In the 2008 KBO season, Jeong hit .300-plus once again (.317), and ranked 2nd in hits (154) and 3rd in stolen bases (40).

On July 16, 2008, Jeong was selected for South Korea national team in the 2008 Olympics. In Beijing, he batted 9-for-29 with 4 runs and a RBI, playing as a utility infielder. In the team's third game of round-robin play against Canada, he smacked a solo home run off Mike Johnson in the third inning that held up for a 1-0 win for South Korea.

On December 11, 2009, he obtained his second Golden Glove Award as a second baseman,[2] and in 2013 he won his third Golden Glove.

He moved through the second draft of the KBO League in 2020.[3]

Awards and honors

Source:[4]

Career statistics

Through 2009 season.

YearTeamG AB R H2B3BHRRBITB SB CS SH BB HBP K GIDPE AVG OBP SLGOPS
2005 5288 1117 2 0 0 5 19 4 2 10441337.193.236.216.452
2006120430691221948 42 1734510 173646038.284.333.402.735
2007111341621102429 44 1652410 935644620.323.386.484.870
2008 124491731542048 58 20640201046353915.314.369.420.789
2009127480981682949 59 232531375548.350.437.483.920
Total 5341850313571941434208 7951666553176211702950.312.352.434.753
Bold = led KBO

Notable international careers

YearVenueCompetitionTeamIndividual Note
2006Asian Games.350 BA (7-for-20), 3 RBI, 8 R, 3 SB, 4 BB
2007Asian Baseball Championship.250 BA (2-for-8), 2 RBI, 2 R
2008Olympic Games.310 BA (9-for-29), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 5 R
2009World Baseball Classic.292 BA (7-for-24), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 7 R
2010Guangzhou Asian Games.563 BA (9-for-16), 3 RBI, 6 R, 3 BB

Filmography

Television shows

YearTitleRoleNotes
2021Game of BloodContestant [5]
2022All Table Tennis!Cast Member[6]
Youth Baseball TeamHead coach[7]
Strongest BaseballCast Member[8]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Yoo Jee-ho . Nat'l team 2B Jeong Keun-woo to undergo knee surgery, WBC status in doubt . . Seoul . November 15, 2016 . November 17, 2016 .
  2. 정근우, 2루수 독보적 골든글러브
  3. Web site: 2019-11-20. 한화 정근우, 2차 드래프트 통해 LG행. 2020-06-18. The Korea Economic Daily. ko.
  4. Web site: 정근우, 네이버 인물검색 수상경력. Naver(네이버).
  5. Web site: 피의 게임' 전 야구선수 정근우→한의사 최연승, 플레이어 공개. Baek Seung-hoon. Game of Blood' former baseball player Jeong Geun-woo → Oriental doctor Yeon-seung Choi, player revealed. iMBC. . October 21, 2021. October 21, 2021. ko.
  6. Web site: 올 탁구나!' 이진호·강승윤·신예찬·이태환, 멤버 완성..포스터 공개. Moon Ji-yeon. 'All table tennis!' Lee Jin-ho, Kang Seung-yoon, Shin Ye-chan, Lee Tae-hwan, members completed.. Poster released . Sports Chosun. Naver. February 15, 2022. February 15, 2022. ko.
  7. Web site: 청춘야구단' 정수성 작전코치 합류 "프로선수 수준으로 지도할 것 . Park Ah-reum. Joining ‘Youth Baseball Team’ as operational coach Suseong Jung “I will guide you to the level of a professional player”. Newsen. Naver. April 13, 2022. April 13, 2022. ko.
  8. Web site: 이승엽·박용택 등 레전드 총출동…예능 '최강야구' 상반기 방송. Kang Ae-ran. Lee Seung-yeop, Park Yong-taek, etc. Legends all dispatched… 'Strongest Baseball' broadcast in the first half of the entertainment show. Yonhap News Agency. Naver. April 21, 2022. April 21, 2022. ko.