As a Lotte Giants rookie batsman, Kim Min-seok (19), who accompanied the overseas training camp for the first time in a long time, is working hard for self-development at the camp.
Kim Min-seok was listed on the list of Lotte’s 2023 spring camp, which has been held in Guam, USA since the 1st. There are only two rookies joining this year, along with pitcher Lee Tae-yeon (19).
In Guam, Kim Min-seok is concentrating on hitting and defense. In the video released on the club’s official YouTube channel on the 8th, he and head coach Park Heung-shik (60) continued training until the night in search of areas to complement. Kim Min-seok explained, “(The coach) asked if the timing would be delayed by slightly moving away before the arm hit, so I tried to hit it differently.” “I want to learn a lot about how to play in-cos at camp,” he said.
Even on defense, he showed his desire to learn. Kim Min-seok, who played as a shortstop in high school, played a variety of positions including first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, and center fielder in the Australian professional baseball Geelong Korea. Classified as an outfielder on the camp roster, he packed both his infield and outfield gloves and left for Guam.
Kim Min-seok said, “He wants to learn a lot on the defensive side” and expressed his determination, “(Although his classification is an outfielder), he wants to train both infield and outfield.”
Kim Min-seok, who graduated from Whimoon High School and entered Lotte with the 3rd overall pick in the first round in the rookie draft last year, is raising expectations as the ‘second Lee Jung-hoo (25, Kiwoom)’. He showed off his batting talent to the extent of winning the Lee Young-min batting award with his batting average of 0.544 (37 hits in 68 at-bats) last year as a senior in high school. 스포츠토토
In response, Lotte dispatched Kim Min-seok, who had not even graduated from high school, to Geelong Korea to experience the professionalism. He showed potential with a batting average of 0.235, 1 home run, 1 RBI, and 0.612 OPS in 20 games.
Kim Min-seok is a Lotte high school graduate rookie batsman who went to an overseas spring camp in four years. Lotte, which set up camp in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 2019, entered four rookies, and among the batters, Koh Seung-min (23) was on this list.
Ko Seung-min showed his potential with a batting average of 0.253 in 30 first-team games that year. After serving in the military, he played in 92 games last year and showed his potential with a batting average of 0.316, 5 homers, 30 RBIs and an OPS of 0.834. Kim Min-seok is also expected from Lotte as a resource comparable to Ko Seung-min at the time.
Before leaving the camp, Lotte coach Larry Sutton (53) said, “The most talented new player always joins the camp. said. You can also know the expectations you have for Kim Min-seok on the set.
Kim Min-seok said, “The most important thing is to be able to start the season without getting hurt.” He continued, “I think it should be different in the professional world, so from now on I think the result is more important than the process.” To achieve this, he has been sweating across the sea since February.
