Cho Min-seong, a promising Samsung Lions slugger who is scheduled to enlist in the Armed Forces Athletic Corps on the 18th, said
There are two weeks left, but it still doesn’t feel real.
I’m continuing my personal training.”
Cho Min-seong, who joined Samsung last year after graduating from Whimoon High School
stepped onto the first team stage for the first time after the expanded entry system was implemented in September. He appeared in 12 games
where he batted .308 (4-for-13) with 1 home run, 3 RBIs, and 3 runs scored.
He got his first taste of it since his professional debut in the Daegu KIA game on September 17th. 지울프-토토
He came on as a pinch hitter in the 8th inning with 1 out and runners on 1st and 2nd base
ahead 7-1, and hit a superior 3-run home run against KIA’s 5th pitcher Nam Ha-jun.
In a practice game against the Chunichi Dragons held at Chatan Stadium in Okinawa, Japan on February 12
Cho Min-seong played as first baseman No. 8 and hit a right-handed hit against Takahashi in the third inning
recording the team’s first hit. He also became the only hitter on the team to achieve multiple hits with a heavy hit in the 5th inning.
He showed off his fierce hitting ability at spring training in Okinawa, but suffered an early return home due to a left side injury.
He appeared in 15 games this season, hitting only .277 (6 hits in 29 at-bats), 5 RBIs, and 1 run.
Jo Min-seong, who looked back on his two years of professional life, said, “Last year
I did well because I rushed at it without knowing how to do it
but this year, the most unfortunate thing was that I got hurt during camp, and my desire to do well was so bad that it actually became poison.
He added, “I realized what direction I should take.
The more I thought about it, the more I learned that I couldn’t do it.
I didn’t play in many games, but thanks to my experience playing in the first team last year
I felt like I had more composure when playing.”
Sangmu said that the well-equipped training facilities are a great help in improving skills.
Cho Min-seong said, “When I saw my seniors from Sangmu doing well
I thought a lot about wanting to become like them.
I thought it would be a good idea to prepare in advance (to join Sangmu) even before the end of this season
so I paid more attention during personal training.
Seniors from Sangmu, including Oh Jae-il and Koo Ja-wook, advised Jo Min-seong that he should make a turning point in his baseball career at Sangmu.
Jo Min-seong said, “Jae-il said, ‘If you go to Sangmu
you will work hard on weight training and it will be a good opportunity because you will have a lot to learn,’ and Ja-wook said
Once you go to Sangmu, there will be no more place for you to retreat, so you have to do really well. Sangmu is good at baseball.
He advised me, ‘Since the players are gathered together
learn what they think about baseball in areas other than baseball as well.’”
He added, “At first, I wasn’t sure if going to the military early was a good thing or a bad thing
but after playing this season, I thought it could be a good opportunity because I could go to Sangmu and try various things.”
He emphasized that it is as important to provide stability in defense as in attack. Cho Min-seong said
It is true that I am most comfortable defending first base, but I still have a desire to defend third base.
During the closing camp, Coach Byeong-gon Jeong helped me a lot.
I told him, ‘I have a good shoulder and many other strengths, so if I learn properly, I can be a good 3rd baseman.
He encouraged me by saying, ‘I can become a baseman.’ I was very low on confidence
but Coach Byung-gon Jeong praised me, and I felt like I wanted to try one more time.”
Inside the club, Cho Min-seong is expected to become a big third baseman like Park Seok-min
who was one of the key players in Samsung’s four-game losing streak.
He said, “I often watch senior Park Seok-min’s batting videos and think about the direction I should go.
My goal is to become a hitter like him.”
My goal is to play as a central hitter from my first year as a managing director and hit at least 20 home runs. Cho Min-seong expressed his wish
saying, “I need to leave a clear performance at Sangmu to be competitive after returning, so I want to hit more than 20 home runs next year.”
Samsung batters including Kang Min-ho, Oh Jae-il, Kim Ji-chan, and Kim Hyun-jun gave a lot of baseball supplies to Jo Min-seong
who is about to enlist. He expressed his gratitude, saying
He gave me plenty of bats and batting gloves because I knew my brothers would need them a lot when they went to the military.
Thank you for always taking care of them. I will come back as a more grown-up person.”
Lastly, he did not forget to greet the fans.
Cho Min-seong said in an interview, “I am very grateful for your support over the past two years.
I feel very sorry for not being able to show a better performance as the fans expected.
Since I am still young, I will return to the military and become a home run hitter representing Samsung.” Finished.