This year’s KT spring camp, where many new faces have appeared, is full of energy. A competitive landscape has been formed in all positions, and the old and the new are naturally harmonized. A smile bloomed on KT coach Lee Kang-cheol’s face.
KT started spring camp on the 1st (Korean time) at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, USA. However, a lot of new faces appeared in this year’s first-team camp. Five new players selected in the rookie draft last year (Kim Jeong-woon, Jung Jun-young, Son Min-seok, Kim Geon-woong, and Ryu Hyun-in) joined the team, and the five transferred last winter (Kim Sang-soo, Lee Sang-ho, Cho Yi-hyeon, Park Seon-woo, and Lee Chae-ho) joined the team. Kang Min-seong, Kim Young-hyeon, and Choi Seong-min), a total of 13 new faces participated in the camp.
In particular, 8 players, excluding transfer students, were selected by coach Lee after personally checking their skills at the finishing camp. Outfielder Choi Seong-min (2nd round 6 in 2021) 슬롯사이트is by far the most eye-catching player. In the free betting held on the 12th, he sent his big ball into the outfield. Director Lee said, “I hit like Kang Baek-ho. Other coaches thought the same,” he praised. Not just a bat. He is also showing prominence in defense and base running. Choi Seong-min said, “As this is my first camp, I only focus on baseball and try to do my best,” he said.
Kang Min-seong (2nd 6th round in 2019) and Son Min-seok, a rookie this year, are also getting a lot of attention at this camp. Kang Min-seong, whose main position is third base, is a prospective star that Lee picked up earlier. After taking the KT baton in 2019, coach Lee took Kang Min-seong to the finishing camp in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Kang Min-seong is showing off his tight swing and unusual body movements at this camp. Kang Min-seong prepared for his first team overseas camp by training in skills at his alma mater, Gyeongbuk High School, during the off-season. After the start of the camp, he pours out a barrage of questions when he follows big seniors such as Park Byeong-ho and Hwang Jae-gyun like ‘gum scabs’. I am determined to become a first-team player this year.
Kang Min-seong said, “I am grateful to the seniors for explaining and taking care of me inside and outside the baseball field. The goal is to catch the details when defending. He is confident in his power in hitting. I’m learning how to work hard now, and I’ll be seeing the pitcher’s ball in a practice game two years after being discharged, so I’m curious and excited about whether the changes I made will work well.”
Son Min-seok is said to be excellent in defense based on his strong shoulders despite his skinny body. Park Kyung-soo, the eldest brother and captain of the team, cares for Son Min-seok like his own younger brother. Son Min-seok said, “All of them are seniors who are good at baseball, so it’s interesting and fun to train together directly.”
Coach Lee does not sit still for a moment at this camp, flashing in the east and flashing in the west. It is to closely watch the training of the new faces who have joined the camp. Director Lee smiled broadly, saying, “I am satisfied with the overseas camp environment after three years, and especially this year’s camp, which has many new faces, has become more energetic.”