Three years after turning to the "No. 1 hitter," Deoksu High School, Seol Jae-min, "Kim Hyung-joon will be the No. 1 role model and defense in the country." [Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

Deoksu High School's Seol Jae-min (18), who quickly attracted attention as a national prospect even just over three years after turning into a catcher, aimed to be named the No. 1 catcher.

The 2027 KBO Rookie Draft, which will be held in the second half of the year, is considered to be relatively better than last year. In particular, there are prospects who are expected to be nominated in the third round in the catcher position, which was not particularly good last year.

Deoksu High School and Seol Jae-min are one of them. Based on the Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA), he is 183cm tall, weighs 88kg, and hit .317 (26 hits in 82 times at bat) in 28 games as the main catcher last year, with one homer, 22 RBIs, 15 runs and one stolen base, and an on-base percentage of 0.376 on-base plus slugging percentage of 0.803.

As of January 2026, he is classified as one of the top three high school catchers along with Kim Sun-bin (18) of Gwangju Il High School and Yoo Je-min (18) of Hwimungo High School. Seol Jae-min's biggest strength is his batting and rapid growth based on his compliance with athletic ability. Even though he changed from shortstop to catcher due to an injury in the second year of middle school, his skills improved so fast that he occupied the home turf of a prestigious high school in three years.

In a recent phone call with Star News, KBO Scouts said, "Seol Jae-min has been evaluated as talented as a catcher since middle school. In fact, there was no noticeable performance until last year's blue dragon flag, but baseball increased significantly as it led the blue dragon flag to the championship. I feel like I have my own baseball stadium. The strength is that the growth rate is fast, he analyzed.

In fact, Seol Jae-min led Deoksu to victory with a batting average of 0.600 (12 hits in 20 at-bats) with one homer, 13 RBIs, seven runs and one stolen base in six Cheongryonggi games last year. Seol Jae-min, who recently met with Star News at Deoksu Baseball Stadium, said, "There was something I thought comfortable about until the Cheongryonggi tournament. So after the golden lion period, I practiced to die, so I was able to perform well from the blue dragon period. Now, I've done a lot of blocking and no-bound catching with coach Choi Yong-je, who went to KT Wiz."

He started late, but quickly fell in love with the catcher's charm. Seol Jae-min said, "When I was in the second year of middle school, I trained catcher with the intention of raising my lower body because my arm hurt, and my middle school coach recommended that I have a good posture. Looking backwards at the stadium, it was attractive that the flow of the game changed in one word. Although catcher training is difficult, I have a feeling from last year's experience, so I'm going to make it easier for fielders and pitchers to trust me and play all this season," he said.

At this point, there is a little bit to be equipped as a catcher. The KBO scout said, "Currently, catcher Seol Jae-min's strengths are framing and blocking. However, in throwing, the accuracy should be increased a little more. Sometimes when I'm in a hurry, I get a bound ball or a running ball," he pointed out. At the same time, he said, "The number of hits has increased a lot. As the mechanism softens, the ability to cope with low-falling balls improves, and pioneering eyes are also good. Overall, I feel like I've gained a lot of confidence and grown as I have more room," he pointed out.

He is the first hitter at the Seoul Metropolitan Government's long-term high school autumn baseball tournament held in November last year, despite being a catcher. In response, Seol Jae-min said, "I was confident in hitting originally. The director recommended me because I run fast. To be honest, I did it because I wanted to try it, but the catcher took off his equipment and went to the batter's box, so he had a lot of physical difficulties."

"I kept looking at the ball early last year and trying to hit it, so the bat didn't come out easily. However, in order to focus on defense during the Blue Dragon period, I thought that the bat would be cool without any pressure, but it worked out better. What I felt doing was physical strength. I have to continue playing full time this year, so I'm focusing on increasing my stamina. As for defense, I want to be No. 1 in the country, so I focus on defensive training and work hard," he said with strength.

The player I want to meet in the professional league was Kang Min-ho (41, Samsung Lions) and his role model was Kim Hyung-joon (27, NC Dinos). Seol Jae-min said, "NC Kim Hyung-joon is a role model as a catcher. Once the runner runs, he catches almost everything, and he is so flexible that it looks easy for the pitcher to throw when he sits down. He said, "He is one of the best players in defense, so I'm using him as a role model."

He said, "I'm originally a Kiwoom fan, but I really want to meet Kang Min-ho. I really want to ask you the secret that you are a veteran among the veterans and always keep a bright appearance when playing games. I'm also on the positive side, but I've heard from people around me that there are times when my expression suddenly appears. I really want to fix that, so I want to ask you in the mental management section," he added.

Kim Sun-bin of Gwangju Jeil High School and Yoo Je-min of Hwimungo High School are among the rivals that come to mind right now. Seol Jae-min said, "Kim Sun-bin and Yoo Ja-min are almost at the top of the defense and have a bat, so I'm most concerned. Still, I'm also confident in blocking and stealing, so I'll definitely be selected as the number one catcher. I will do better and aim for the first round with Deoksu's victory," he said.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.