*This content was translated by AI.
"If you see it in person, you will know."
A thousand hearings are not worth one seeing. This is what I heard when I was recommended by several KBO scouts before going to a high school in the metropolitan area.
Hwang Sung-hyun is an outfielder with excellent physical conditions with 186cm tall and 115kg based on the Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA). Hwang Sung-hyun, who I met in person, also had an overwhelming body that looked full on the side of the container. Usually, he can play a corner outfielder or first baseman if he is this big, but Chung Yoon-jin (55), head coach of Deoksu High School, told Star News, "Hwang Sung-hyun is our center fielder this year. He has the ability to play center field and will be in the central lineup. I'm looking forward to growing like Ahn Hyun-min of KT," he said.
Ahn Hyun-min (23), who won the KBO Rookie of the Year last year, also had a sluggish physique of 183 centimeters and weight of 90 kilograms. On top of that, it has enough speed and flexibility to steal double-digit steals, resulting in explosive synergies. Hwang Sung-hyun is also said to have such potential. A KBO club scout said, "When I see Hwang Sung-hyun for the first time, his upper body is very thick and he is not a high school student. The power tool from that body is very attractive, he said. "What's interesting is that when you first see such an appearance, you wonder if you can play baseball. But he runs really well in his size. That's how good he is at sports," he praised.
Since Chungcheongnam-do Middle School, he has known a promising player. When he was a senior, he played as both a pitcher and a batter at the 2023 Media Pen Bae National Youth Baseball Competition, leading Chungnam Middle School to six consecutive wins and a victory. He won the MVP of the tournament with two wins as a pitcher and a batting average of 0.563 as a batter, and went to prestigious Cheonan Bukil High School in Chungcheong Province.
However, Bukil High School was not related to Hwang Sung-hyun. He played in only 14 games for a year and a half and posted a batting average of 0.091 (2 hits in 22 times at bat). In the end, he wanted to play baseball in a wider place, so he took a six-month suspension (disciplinary action for transferring during the season) and moved to Deoksu High School last year.
As such, there is still a lot to show and prove. The KBO scout said, "Hwang Sung-hyun is still less sophisticated. There is definitely a part to clean up. However, there is something I am looking forward to seeing from what I showed for a short time. It has the power to hit far away even when pushed. "I don't think I've been able to show all my skills because I have little experience in the game," he explained.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing is the player himself. As a boy who grew up watching Hanwha Eagles baseball, he silently devotes himself to weight training and dreams of becoming Aaron Judge (34) of the New York Yankees of the KBO League.
Hwang Sung-hyun said, "I've been a fan of Hanwha and the Yankees since I was young. He is also a role model. The part where you hit home runs well and your batting average came out well was really cool. I also think I have strengths over other friends in power, but I'm going to take a batting average here," he said with strength. "I'm trying to become a player with both contact and power, paying attention to hitting the center of the bat even during batting training. Judge is also a good defense player in the outfield. In defense, I refer to the video of Park Hae-min, who is good at judging batting," he added.
The youth clinic co-hosted by Major League Baseball and San Francisco Giants held at LG Champions Park in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do, on the 8th was also of great help. Hwang Sung-hyun, who has been to Cheongryonggi as a winner, said, "I learned so much in defense. "It helped me because he told me how to play catch better and how to exercise better," he said with a smile.
It is hoped that Ahn Woo-jin (27, Kiwoom Heroes), the best pitcher of the KBO, will grow up like that and face him as a batter before going to the Major League. Hwang Sung-hyun said, "My goal this year is to show my everything without any regrets and be nominated for the top round in the KBO Rookie Draft. It doesn't matter which team it is. Ahn Woo-jin may be in the Major League (by the time I went to the first team), but I want to play against the fastball of our country's best pitcher," he said.
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*This content was translated by AI.
