Hwang Jae-gyun, ‘14.8 billion free agent’, has finally emerged as a promising player to succeed him in KT Wiz’s 3rd base, which was a one-man dictatorship system. The hero is Kang Min-seong (24), who recently became a national team part-timer and hit multi-hits following the Futures’ home run king.
Kang Min-seong is an unfamiliar name to KT fans. He left Gyeongbuk High School and joined KT in the 2nd 6th round of the 2019 rookie draft with the 51st rank, but there is no first-team record yet. After two seasons in the Futures League, he enlisted in active duty and fulfilled his military service duty as a sniper in the 52nd Division, before being discharged at the end of October last year. Afterwards, at last year’s finishing camp, coach Lee Kang-chul received an eye-painting and received an invitation to the 1st team spring camp in Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Kang Min-seong, whom I met in Tucson, said, “It is my first time playing baseball with my seniors. I thought it would be difficult even before the start of the camp, but the seniors took care of me so well that I’m adapting well. In particular, (Hwang) Jaekyun sunbaenim takes care of me really well. They come to me first and tell me a lot,” he said, conveying his overwhelming impressions of going through the first team spring camp since his debut.
Director Lee Kang-cheol is putting a lot of effort into nurturing Kang Min-seong as Hwang Jae-gyun’s successor at this camp. According to a KT official, coach Lee, who had always worried about the depth of the infield, couldn’t hide his joy after discovering a lumber named Kang Min-seong. Kang Min-seong said, “The manager and coaches help me a lot to do well. He is practicing with an emphasis on defending third base.”
Kang Min-seong also made another unforgettable memory in Tucson. The WBC national team, which lacked an infielder due to the late joining of the Keystone combination of Ha-seong Kim (San Diego) and Tommy Edman (St. He contributed to the national team’s 12-6 victory with one goal.
Kang Min-seong said, “I had a really great experience. I played games with famous seniors. Lee Jung-hoo asked his older brother what he always wanted to know while watching TV, and when I asked Choi Jeong-seonbae what he was curious about, he told me in detail.” I thought the national team was the same person, but he was focused on every practice, and he seemed to be comfortable with his own things in Gyeonggi-do. I found out why the national team is the national team. That day, he also wrote a diary at the hotel.”
Kang Min-seong cited his sincerity and power as his strengths. He, who rose to the home run king of the Futures Southern League with 12 homers in 2020, said, “I want to point out sincerity as my strong point outside of technology. Also, I am confident of hitting with power on the ground,” he said. 메이저사이트
Since joining the pro in 2019, four years have passed. Even though he is evaluated as a promising third baseman, batting in the first team is still a dream for him. Kang Min-seong said, “I honestly feel that I must go to the first team this year. It will be difficult for him to become a starting player right away, but he wants to start with a pinch hitter and defense in the first team and establish a foothold to become a big player later. If this year’s first-team debut is successful, he imagined happily, saying, “I will do what I can do without regret in the first at-bat.”
In an interview, Kang Min-seong also expressed his gratitude to the officials of the 52nd division, who were considerate of him so that he could concentrate only on baseball during his military service. He said, “When I was in the unit, the division commander knew I was playing baseball and gave me a lot of consideration. First of all, the KT team sent bats, balls, and gloves to the unit, and the unit installed a net on the futsal field so that I could tee-bet. He also thanked, saying, “My friends who played little baseball in the unit became my catch-ball partners for me.”
Kang Min-seong, born in 1999, skipped grades in middle school and went to Gyeongbuk High School with Won Tae-in, a native Samsung ace born in 2000. And on the 20th, he went on a part-time job for the national team and played a game with his best friend from the national team. Kang Min-seong said, “(Won) Tae-in and I are very close, so we keep in touch. During the KIA practice game, I defended when Tae-in threw, and Tae-in said, ‘How many years have you been together? He showed off his friendship with his friend, saying, “Let’s fight together.”
Kang Min-sung’s goal this year is for the current expectations and attention to continue in the first team, not just in the camp. Dreaming of debuting in the 1st team, he said, “I want to learn how the 1st team players play baseball because I am attached to the 1st team as much as possible.” I want to do my best to set a good record, and KT won the championship when I was in the military, and I want to be a part of the team, so I want to share that moment together.”
