Samsung coach Park Jin-man: “Who will replace Lee Jeong-hoo? I want my team’s Kim Hyun-joon”
Reporter Kwon Hyuk-jun = “It’s always good to have a player from our team.”
Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man smiled as he said this. An injury to Lee Jung-hoo (25, Kiwoom Heroes) has left the Asian Games baseball team in need of a replacement, and Park is hoping that Kim Hyun-jun (21), who is being considered for the job, will make the team.
Park spoke about Kim on Monday when he met with reporters ahead of Kiwoom’s 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League game at the Gocheok SkyDome in Seoul.
The Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) announced its roster for the Hangzhou Asian Games in June, which is subject to change. Lee Jung-hoo recently underwent surgery for a left ankle injury. With an expected rehabilitation period of only three months, his participation in the Asian Games was virtually impossible.
“First of all, Lee Jung-hoo’s injury is unfortunate and unfortunate as a baseball person,” Park said, “but when something like this happens, there are players who get a chance instead. In our team, Kim Hyun-jun has been playing well lately.”
A left-handed hitting outfielder in his third year of professional baseball, Kim is batting .313 with two home runs, 16 RBIs and 28 runs scored in 51 games this season. He also has a wide defensive range in center field, making him an ideal replacement for Lee Jung-hoo.
“He’s been getting a lot of hits lately, and it’s thanks to Kim Hyun-jun getting a lot of runs in front of him,” Park said, adding, “He’s showing enough ability.”
Kim Hyun-jun’s competition includes Lotte’s Yoon Dong-hee and Kim Min-seok. Both Yoon Dong-hee and Kim Min-seok are currently playing well in the first team.
“I would like to see one of our players go,” Park said, adding, “Of course, not having him during the Asian Games is a negative for the team, but it will be a big help for him personally.”
“Wearing the Korean flag gives you a sense of pride and upgrades you in many ways,” said Park, who has played in countless international tournaments as a player. “Kim Hyun-joon is a player who should be Samsung’s leadoff man in the future, so I think it would be good for him to go to the national team in the long run.”바카라사이트
“Even if he doesn’t say it, I think he’s greedy inwardly,” he said, adding, “Just being considered as a candidate would be a great motivator.”
