Novice baseball participant Kim Search engine optimization-jin drafted by Lotte Giants: The DONG-A ILBO

Kim Seo-jin hits the headlines after being voted 84th overall by the Lotte Giants in Phase 2 of the 2022 KBO draft because Kim is an amateur baseball player with no baseball career. An industry official said the 17-year-old is more of an amateur than Han Seon-tae from the LG Twins.

Han, who was ranked 95th overall by the LG Twins three years ago, played baseball at a social club and then played for a Japanese independent league club before becoming a professional baseball player. Kim, on the other hand, learned to play baseball all by herself. The only experience he has is playing for a regional minor league baseball team from the age of 11 for three years. From then on, Kim dreamed of becoming a major league baseball player, studying baseball through YouTube videos, and hitting balls in private baseball lessons. He also practiced professional weight training to help build a strong lower body.

A trial session on August 30 was a showcase for Kim to show what he’d learned so far. Kim, who said he mostly coached baseball indoors, looked happy and said, “It always feels great to play baseball outdoors.” However, Kim received a sober assessment. Unlike local elite players, Kim had big swings and was clumsy with the glove. “He’s better than amateur players playing for a social club, but he lacks the basic skills to be called an ‘elite’ player,” said one scout.

However, Kim was surprisingly chosen by the Giants in the second phase of the design. Giants managing director Sung Min-kyu, who was told there was an interesting player two years ago, said Kim definitely has more strength than an elite player of his age and is very flexible in two to three years at work. Sung also stressed that the Giants didn’t select it as a one-off event, adding that players like him will develop professional baseball.

Bae-Jung Kim [email protected]