“Kim Seo-hyun, Yoon Young-chul, who will be closer to the rookie award?”
The 2023 KBO League Spring Camp has raised its anchor.
From the 29th to the 1st of last month, 10 professional baseball teams started warming up at their respective training grounds. It is an overseas spring camp to be held three years after the COVID-19 pandemic was stopped. Expectations can be seen from the faces of both the command tower and the players.
A total of 21 new players participated in each team’s spring camp. Of course, after opening the lid, a new player may appear, but for now, Kim Seo-hyun of the Hanwha Eagles and Yoon Young-cheol of the KIA Tigers are attracting the most attention. In this draft, in which the KBO eliminated the first nomination and conducted a full draft, Kim Seo-hyun was selected first overall and Yoon Young-cheol was selected second overall. The three, including Shim Jun-seok, who signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates of the US Major League (MLB) last month, were known as the big three in high school.
When I asked an amateur official, the evaluation of Kim Seo-hyun and Yoon Young-chul was clearly ahead of other players. I am also very curious about how the two players will perform this year. Looking at his evaluation and skills so far, it seems that he will be able to make his debut in the first team.
Kim Seo-hyun and Yoon Young-chul took charge of the mound for the national team at the 30th World Youth Baseball Championship last year. Gangneung High School coach Choi Jae-ho, who took the baton of the national team, said, “Kim Seo-hyun is much faster at speed. However, compared to Kim Seo-hyun, Yoon Young-cheol has better control, left and right corner work, and game management, even though he has a slower speed.”
Kim Seo-hyun, a three-quarter type pitcher, has already recorded the fastest fastball of 155.7 km per hour. His fastball average speed is also consistently above 150 km/h. He uses a variety of pitches, including a two-seam fastball, curveball, changeup, and slider. He also has a good physique (height 1m88cm), and has also attracted the attention of major league (MLB) scouts. When he was a student at Seoul High School last year, he pitched in 18 national championships and recorded 3 wins and 3 losses with an earned run average of 1.31. He struck out 72 while he was responsible for 55 1/2 innings.
Yoon Yeong-chul, from Chungam High School, has a slightly different type and style. As a left-handed pitcher, his fastball speed is not very fast at the mid-140 km/h. However, his control and deception (hiding the ball) are good. He played 13 wins and 2 losses with an earned run average of 1.66 in 15 national championship games in 2022. He walked only 5 in 65 1/3 innings.
I am already wondering who will win the rookie award this season. I’m guessing that one of the two will receive it. That’s why on the high school stage, the opinions of ‘Kim Seo-hyun is better’ and ‘Yoon Young-chul is better’ were split in half. 슬롯사이트
A rookie player needs the help of a team to succeed from the first season. Excellent player skills are important, but team offense and defense must be backed up. It is also important what position he holds. How much he develops his skills through coaching after joining the pro is also a variable. Compared to high school, bunt defense and runner checks need to be refined. Depending on the support of the team and the help of seniors, the speed of growth can be different. That is why this spring camp is even more important and meaningful.
The same was true of Ryu Hyun-jin in 2006. At that time, I took the baton of the first World Baseball Classic (WBC) and vacated my seat during the battery training period. However, since I had seen Ryu Hyun-jin pitching at Dongsan High School, I was able to confirm Ryu Hyun-jin’s appearance changed when he returned to the team after the WBC tournament. He throws the ball more confidently and his speed has increased. Left and right corner work has also been improved. The evaluation of “It’s okay” continued to rise from the coaching staff. Ryu Hyun-jin won the 2006 Rookie of the Year award as well as the Triple Crown (most wins, average ERA, strikeouts).
He still has two months left until the start of the season. It is also interesting to keep an eye on who will receive the rookie award this season.
