"Yu Kang lost a lot of weight, and it looked good."

Lotte Giants manager Kim Tae-hyung expressed satisfaction with the players' physical condition immediately after the start of the first spring camp compared to the 2025 season at the Asia-Pacific International Baseball Center in Tainan, Taiwan, on the 25th of last month. 
Most Lotte players gave up their night rest and focused on individual training after the 2024 season. Players living in Busan worked hard at Sajik Baseball Stadium during the off-season.

The sweat that Lotte players shed during the off-season has been effective since the beginning of the 2025 spring camp. Batters are engaged in intensive training amid light physical movement in both batting and defense. 

One of the most notable players is Yoo Kang-nam. He changed his body as he showed strong will to revive this year. He participated in the spring camp after losing more than 10 kilograms. 

Yoo Kang-nam received the worst report card with a batting average of 0.191 (26 hits in 136 times at bat) and five home runs and 20 RBIs in 52 games in the 2024 season. On top of that, he got into surgery due to knee injury. Since he became a starting member of the LG Twins in the 2015 season, he has not played in more than 100 games for the first time. His reputation as the best catcher has been cracked. 

Through intensive training and thorough diet management, Yoo lost more than 10 kilograms through rehabilitation after surgery. He is also trying to maintain his physical condition by climbing the scale every morning in Taiwan.

"It is important to be good at baseball, but you should not get sick anymore," Yoo Kang-nam said. 바카라사이트 "The biggest reason for losing weight is that you should put less weight on your knees. So far, I am exercising while being satisfied with how much I have lost weight. I also remember to get on the scale every day. I try to control my diet and diet well because I tend to gain weight easily if I let my guard down a little."

Coach Kim Tae-hyung is also happily watching Yoo Kang-nam, who has become slimmer. The coaching staff highly appreciates the fact that he has started self-management and weight loss by cutting bones by himself even though there are no instructions from the team.

"Yu Kang-nam is not young anymore (33 years old, born in 1992). I hurt my knee, but last year's weight can be burdensome when I'm playing defense," coach Kim Tae-hyung said. "I've lost a lot of weight, but I just like how I look now."

"It is really difficult for a professional athlete to lose weight significantly. Yoo Kang-nam has been working out well with the determination to work out really hard," he said. "The same goes for other athletes. Even if you don't have to lose weight, it is important to have the mindset that comes by making sure you are in a good condition to work out according to the start of the spring camp."

Manager Kim Tae-hyung is carefully managing the training intensity during the spring camp as Yoo Kang-nam underwent knee surgery last year. He believes that it is more important to complete the 2025 season healthily than to wear a mask and keep the home turf in the regular season opener on March 22. 

Lotte Giants manager Kim Tae-hyung took the helm last year, only to rank seventh in the regular season. Lotte has swallowed its disappointment by going through an autumn season without baseball for the seventh consecutive year.

In order for Lotte to break the long and long dark period this year, it is important for Yoo Kang-nam to play his part in offense and defense. 

Yoo Kang-nam said, "I'm trying to increase the intensity of the catcher's training from when I get a little stronger and my physical condition is perfect," adding, "It's important to make sure even if it's slow."