Kim Tae-hyung knows how to run the game. Unusual praise → Camp MVP...26-year-old military-pil right-hander has the best chance of his life
Mar 04, 2025
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Park Jin (26) has risen to the top of the Lotte Giants' 5th starting candidate. The ball power has improved compared to last year, and the ability to manage the game, which has already been recognized by head coach Kim Tae-hyung, stands out among the candidates. In the end, he even won the MVP of the spring camp itself.
It was a hidden gem that only six games and six innings were the first-team experience for five years after joining the team. However, last year, head coach Kim Tae-hyung made an unconventional selection and played 38 games (starting 3) 49 ⅓ innings with an ERA of 4.38 and quickly emerged as a next-generation Lotte prospect. In other words, the recommendation of coach Bae Young-soo (current SSG second-tier coach), who stormed into the coach's briefing two years ago and pushed for Park Jin's registration in the first division, has now been proven.
Park Jin-young from Busan High School was selected by Lotte in the fourth round (38th overall) of the 2024 rookie draft.
The usual fastball speed is in the mid-140km range, but the ball is good and the ball is different. He also knows how to throw various breaking balls up to the slider, forkball curve. Through this, he is strong in head fights with batters.
Above all, there is a weight that is not easily shaken by mistakes or lucky hits. Park Jin's strong mentality, which forgets when he turns around and aims at the strike zone again, is his biggest advantage compared to other candidates.
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At the beginning of the spring camp, head coach Kim Tae-hyung gave veterans such as Na Kyun-an and Han Hyun-hee the priority of the five starting candidates. However, as the camp progressed gradually, he was fascinated by the pitch of the fastball, which was in contrast to Park Jin's mindless pitching.
Rather, he pitched so well that he may go up to the must-win group instead of the fifth starter. Due to the nature of professional baseball, which often cancels rain, the five starters also serve as a long relief, and the stability is different. The must-win group basically consists of Koo Seung-min, Jung Chul-won, and Kim Won-joong, but there is a possibility that Na Gyun-an, Park Jin, and Park Jun-woo will be included in Choi Joon-yong's absence due to elbow pain.
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Manager Kim Tae-hyung, along with Park Jin, picked Chung Hyun-soo for pitchers and Son Ho-young and Jang Doo-sung for hitters as camp MVP, respectively. Son Ho-young is already the third baseman of Lotte last season. Chung Hyun-soo was also a top drag in the second round and showed extraordinary growth throughout the camp.
On the other hand, Jang Doo-sung is a player who still lacks what he has shown except for his speed that he is faster than Hwang Sung-bin. "Thanks to coach Cho Won-woo and Yoo Jae-shin, the defense and throwing balance have improved a lot. In the hitting part, coaches Im Hoon, Lee Sung-gon, and Lee Byung-kyu caught a lot of what they lacked.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
