“I’m more confident now.”
Doosan Bears infielder Park Joon-young, 27, is one of the key players Lee Seung-yeop has targeted this year. As Lee prepared for his second season, he had a shortstop problem. Kim Jae-ho, the “genius shortstop,” is now 39 years old. Ahn Jae-seok, who was initially touted as the “post-Jae-ho” as the No. 1 shortstop, enlisted for active military service after batting just .222 with six home runs and 36 RBIs in 222 games over three seasons. Kim Jae-ho also failed to join the first-team spring training after signing a contract late this year. With backups like Park Kye-beom, Lee Yoo-chan, and Park Ji-hoon, the team had to find a way to develop its shortstop options.
All of them were inexperienced and incomplete, but Lee put his faith in one player. Park Jun-young. Park joined the NC Dinos as a first-round pick in 2016 and was considered a jack-of-all-trades. He started out as a pitcher, 카지노사이트 throwing a fastball that reached nearly 150 kilometers, and was a staple in the starting rotation under former manager Kim Kyung-moon.
However, he underwent surgery for elbow pain and continued his active military service before turning to the field.
NC also gave him a chance as the next generation shortstop with long power, but he suffered elbow impingement in 2021 and a dislocated left shoulder in 2022. Injuries were frequent in a short span of time, and last year, NC signed free agent catcher Park Se-hyuk to a four-year, 4.6 billion won contract, taking him off the disabled list and assigning him to Doosan as a compensation player.
Park was once considered untradeable by NC as well. However, frequent injuries and slow growth have left him disappointing. Furthermore, Kim Joo-won, now a national team shortstop, was quickly dropped from the first team.
He was disappointed in himself and needed to fulfill his potential at Doosan. After returning from dislocated shoulder surgery last year, Kim batted 2-for-29 (127 at-bats) with four home runs, 17 RBIs, and a .707 OPS in 51 games.
This year, he is now looking like the clear heir apparent to Kim Jae-ho’s position. Just before the start of spring training, Lee said, “I’m going to expect a lot from Park Jun-young,” and during spring training, he said, “Compared to other shortstop resources, Park Jun-young has an advantage in all aspects,” effectively throwing his hand in the ring.
In the exhibition games,
Park started three games in a row. And in all three games, he hit long balls. In an exhibition game against the Lotte Giants at Sajik Stadium on Nov. 11, Park hit a solo shot to left off Lotte starter Aaron Wilkerson with the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the first inning. With a favorable three-ball, one-strike count, he wasted no time. He sent a 138-kilometer cutter over the left-field foul pole for a big hit.
“I thought it was a home run because I was trying to relax and see the zone in a favorable count and hit it wide,” Park said after the game. “I knew the fastball was good, so I focused on the fastball and got lucky. I thought it was foul, but it hit the pole,” he laughed. Now he knows he has to prove himself as a full-time shortstop, so he is preparing even more intensely. I’m determined and I’ve regained my confidence. And with the pressure off, he’s growing as a first baseman step by step. “I still have a lot of difficulties, but I think I will gain confidence as I catch more pitches,” he said. 안전놀이터 “I think I gained a lot of things during spring training, and I gained confidence. If there’s something I don’t have enough of, I’m going to ask the coach to work on it. I also had some insecurities at shortstop, but now I feel confident and I think I’ve gained some technical skills.” He continued, “I’m healthy and healthy.
“The coach also told me that my physical condition is the first priority, and I’ve always been injured at the end of the season, so I’ve been paying more attention to my physical condition and fitness since spring training. Last year, I skipped meals, but I’m trying to eat three meals a day,” he said, emphasizing that “injuries are injuries, and I’m going to work harder to become a player that the coach can trust and send out.”