"Perfect technique and attitude." But there's no room in the outfield... Hanwha's Moon Hyun-bin, a competitor is a master of big leaguer-GG-defense and on-base. [Saipan Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

It is a bombardment of compliments every day. Whenever the name Moon Hyun-bin (22, Hanwha Eagles) comes out, favorable reviews are pouring out. Even among coaches, coaches and players, Moon Hyun-bin is a representative player who draws praise.

The first camp for the national baseball team is being held in Saipan in preparation for the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March. Moon Hyun-bin's name is not missing anywhere.

In weight training held at the team's quarters, it remains longer than anyone else, increasing muscle strength, and making sharp hits in batting training, drawing viewers' admiration.

Moon Hyun-bin, who wore a Hanwha Eagles uniform in the second round of the 2023 rookie draft, showed off his batting talent from his first year and raised his slugging power the following year, and spent his career high season last season with a batting average of 0.320, 12 homers, 80 RBIs, 71 runs and 17 steals, an on-base percentage of 0.370 and an on-base percentage of 0.453 and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.823.

Although he played in the 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC), he was selected to the national team without age restrictions for the first time in November last year, and he was active in three warm-up games against the Czech Republic and Japan with a batting average of 0.417 (5 hits in 12 at-bats), three RBIs and three walks, an on-base percentage of 0.533, a slugging percentage of 0.5 and an OPS of 1.033.

In the first postseason last year, he swept 16 RBIs to rank second in the postseason with the most RBIs in a single season after Park Jung-kwon, showing his strength in a big game.

Above all, what makes him stand out is the grit that comes out in each play. The way he raced all the way to first base even after hitting an infield grounder reminds me of Yang Jun-hyuk, which is a representative scene of Moon Hyun-bin's attitude toward baseball.

Coach Ryu Ji-hyun praised Moon Hyun-bin from the first day of training. The team showed its presence from weight training at the accommodation after breakfast. Director Ryu said, "I should brag about this one. Our babies, Joo-won (NC) and Hyun Bin were left from the first day to the very end. It was also impressive, he said. "I'm not looking at anyone, but I'm doing it because I feel they need it on their own. That's the most important point," he said with a satisfied smile.

On the 14th, when it was the second turn of the three-day cycle of training, coach Ryu said, "They (were) lifting the weight in advance," fearing that weight training partners Moon Hyun-bin and Kim Joo-won might be carrying too much weight. Joo-won and Hyun Bin were holding the stick to the point where it was bent, he said. "I thought, 'He's not that different from me, but he weighs a lot,' and 'I've never held it before as a player.' Injuries can occur if you go in without preparation. That's how well I prepared," he said.

In batting training, he surprised coach Lee Jin-young. Unlike batters who pick out balls that don't suit their taste, when Moon Hyun-bin hit a good ball nonstop, he admired, saying, "Hyun-bin doesn't cover up." Another national team official also said, "Hyun-bin has a really wide range of answers. "One hit is the best," he said. "Song Sung-moon's power is a little better there."

The fact that Moon Hyun-bin is compared to Song Sung-moon, who has become the hottest hitter in the KBO in the last two years and became a major leaguer based on his strong impact after a long period of unknownness shows how outstanding he is.

The problem is that getting a spot in the outfield is as difficult as getting through a needle hole. While Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco) is expected to take a place in center field, Korean major leaguer Germai Jones (Detroit) is also likely to join. We have to compete for another corner, but we have to show our ability to overwhelm our competitors.

Hong Chang-ki is a batter who can shine more in the WBC, where he has to deal with pitchers at a higher level because he has a good on-base percentage of 0.428, and Park Hae-min (LG) is the best player in the league in defense and running base. He is a batter who has enough use even if he is not the main player. In addition, he is playing a role as a dugout leader by taking charge of fielders this time following his claim in November last year. Koo Ja-wook (Samsung) and Ahn Hyun-min (KT) are the players who won the Golden Glove, which is given to the best player of the year, and no explanation is needed.

Manager Ryu Ji-hyun said, "We can select 15 fielders and pitchers each, and up to six pitchers in the outfield." The calculation is that one more person is added to the side that thinks of the designated hitter, but the cold reality is that even if Ahn Hyun-min, who is currently the most likely, takes the designated hitter and picks six people, there is little room for Moon Hyun-bin to squeeze in.

In the first camp, it is not easy to expect Moon Hyun-bin, who seems to be a subordinate in objective criteria, because the main purpose is to raise his physical condition and the practice game takes place only after the final entry is announced. However, no one knows what variables will arise ahead of the competition. In that respect, Moon Hyun-bin, who is receiving good reviews in all aspects, is also expected to be a great merit.

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*This content was translated by AI.