“Didn’t you have a party to celebrate your discharge?”
“Who is that friend? Why do you do so many interviews?”
Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 13th. In the Lotte Giants team preparing for the sixth game of the season against the Hanwha Eagles, the player who received the most attention was catcher Son Seong-bin.
Son Seong-bin was discharged from the army on the 12th after completing his military service at Sangmu. He joined Lotte Giants in 2021 with the first nomination and then returned as a dashing reserve while enlisted in Sangmu the following year. 메이저사이트
Lotte coach Larry Sutton did not immediately register Son Seong-bin for the first team, but he decided to accompany him for the time being so that he could understand the player’s current skills and learn the team atmosphere.
Son Seong-bin said, “After I went to the military, I started to think about baseball a little more seriously and became greedy.”
Son Seong-bin could not hide his embarrassment at the attention of reporters and fans towards him at the same time as he was discharged. After training, while surrounded by close to 10 reporters and talking, the seniors of the Lotte team greeted Son Seong-bin with playful pranks.
Glasses ace Park Se-woong teased Son Seong-bin, saying, “A superstar has come to our team.” Veteran Han Hyun-hee also asked, “Who is that friend?
Coach Sutton, who is usually far from joking, also congratulated the young player who became a civilian by joking, “I was discharged from the military service, but didn’t you have a big party?”
Son Seong-bin laughed, saying, “I couldn’t party. I moved my luggage to my house in Busan and went to work this morning.”
Ahead of this season, Lotte recruited Yoo Kang-nam for a total of 8 billion won over four years to solve the catcher problem, but Son Seong-bin’s growth is essential for the team’s future.
Son Seong-bin showed off his batting skills, which became more powerful than before enlisting, with a batting average of 0.285, 1 home run, 31 RBIs, OPS of 0.831 in 69 games in Sangmu last year, and an OPS of 0.882 with 1 home run, 24 RBIs in 29 games this year.
The catcher’s defense is also evaluated to have improved while playing the Futures League. Lotte has laid the foundation for the ‘catcher kingdom’ by adding top-class prospect Son Seong-bin to starting pitcher Yu Kang-nam and backup Jeong Bo-geun.
Son Seong-bin said, “In Sangmu, I did a lot of basic training to gain more trust from the pitchers. My hitting improved with the help of my seniors and coaches. It was a time where I learned a lot.” .
He also said, “I am so reassured and grateful that senior Yoo Kang-nam is here. He is one of the best catchers in Korea, so I have a lot to learn and I have high expectations.” I thought a lot about what I wanted to do,” he explained.
My ambition for this season was simple. He is in the position that he has to achieve good grades with a little more responsibility as he has served in the military. He said, “Now I have to do well. If I do well, I can get a chance in the first team, so I will try hard and do well.”