‘My Min-seok is doing very well, grow up like this’ The Sajik Stadium grounds were so hot in early summer that you could sweat just standing still. This season, Lotte Giants hit product Min-seok has been sweating it out under the guidance of a veteran coach.
OB-Dusan-Samsung-KIA-NC-Lotte Coach Kim Pyeong-ho, who has been coaching for 28 years since 1996 and has nurtured countless disciples, even took a bat and demonstrated to the young players to improve their skills.먹튀검증
Sajik Stadium in Busan was the venue for a three-game series last weekend. Before the game against the KIA Tigers, the sound of the Lotte Giants’ bats echoed across the field.
Veteran coach Kim Pyeong-ho, known as the master of tactical baseball, put a lot of work into the rookie Kim Min-seok. Coach Kim emphasised precision. Putting the ball on a pitching machine, he trained Kim to bunt, and when he took the bat himself, he gave him pointers on how to bunt in different situations.
“Min-seok, if you’re not a home run hitter, you need to be more precise,” he said, “so you need to develop the ability to send the impact exactly where you want it to go, whether it’s a hit or a bunt, right up until the moment of impact.
The importance of a bunt is even greater than a hit when you need to score a run. There are many different types of bunts, from the seemingly easy send bunt, to the surprise bunt that can rattle the opposing batter, to the fake bunt-and-slash to take advantage of the opposing fielders’ pressure defence, to the squeeze bunt to bring home a runner from third base, all of which are difficult to pull off in practice.
Often referred to as the next Lee Jung-hoo, Lotte’s Kim Min-seok has dominated a spot in the Lotte outfield with his precise hitting and steady defence since switching from the infield to the outfield as a pro.
The most prominent of this year’s rookie outfielders, Kim hasn’t been sent down since the start of the season and has stayed with the first team to gain experience. In April, he batted .196 with 11 hits, six RBIs, nine runs scored and two doubles. In his first month as a professional, Kim struggled with the timing of his changeup against first-team pitchers. After adjusting to the changeup, he hit .286 with 20 hits, eight RBIs, 11 runs scored, and five stolen bases in May. In a small sample size of four games in June, he hit .444 with four hits, one home run, three doubles, three RBIs and three runs scored.
Under the tutelage of coach Kim Pyeong-ho, a master of tactical baseball, Kim Min-seok continues to improve every day.