‘Our Min-seok is doing very well, keep growing 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 Kim 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 raised countless disciples, even took a bat and demonstrated to the young players to improve their skills.
Sajik Stadium in Busan was the site of a three-game series last weekend. Before the game against the Kia Tigers, the sound of the Lotte Giants’ powerful 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 emphasized precision. Putting the ball on a pitching machine, Coach Kim practiced batting drills with Min-seok, 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 that you have 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.
When you’re trying to score a run, bunts are more important than hits. There are many different types of bunts, from the seemingly easy send bunt, to the surprise bunt that can rattle the opposing batter in an instant, to the fake bunt-and-slash to take advantage of the opposing fielders’ pressure defense, to the squeeze bunt to get a runner home from third base.
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 defense since switching from the infield to the outfield as a professional.
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 stolen bases. He struggled with the timing of his changeup in the first month of his rookie season. After adjusting to the changeup, he hit .286 with 20 hits, eight RBIs, 11 runs scored, and five doubles in May. In a small sample size of four games in June, his offense has picked up as he’s hit .444 with four hits, one home run, three doubles, and three RBIs in four games 토토사이트.
Under the tutelage of coach Kim Pyeong-ho, a master of tactical baseball, Kim Min-seok continues to improve every day.