*This content was translated by AI.
Masan High School (44) coach Ko Yoon-sung revealed the back story of "KT+Gorilla" Ahn Hyun-min (23, KT Wiz) to Suwon.
Ahn Hyun-min joined KT as 38th in the second round of the 2022 KBO Rookie Draft after graduating from Lim Ho-cho (Kim Hae-little), Gaesung Middle School, and Masan High School. He quickly solved the military problem with an army cook and burst his potential last year, his fourth year as a professional. He hit .334 (132 hits in 395 at-bats) in 112 regular season games, 22 home runs, 80 RBIs, 72 runs and seven steals, and a 0.448 on-base percentage of 0.570 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) 1.018, becoming the first player to win the Rookie of the Year and the Golden Glove at the same time in 13 years in the KBO League.
His batting talent itself has been recognized since Masan High School. As the main catcher of Masan High School, he already hit .439 (25 hits in 57 at-bats) with three home runs in 18 games in his second year. In his third year, he marked a batting average of 0.338 (22 hits in 65 at-bats) in 20 games and eight strikeouts with 20 walks (13 balls). In addition, even though he was a catcher, he had a running sense with 10 steals in his second year and 28 steals in his third year, and he was already a promising prospect who made an impression on scouts as a "running catcher."
However, the geographical limitations of the Changwon area, fatal flaws as a catcher, and the Yips made him slip to the fourth round, not the first. Even considering switching to a position other than a catcher, the small size of 183cm tall and 80kg at the time made many clubs pass him. A KBO scout A, who recalled the time, told Star News, "At that time, Ahn Hyun-min was okay with throwing to second base, but he threw the ball poorly from a short distance. "I don't think the catcher will be able to do it in the professional league because the throwing form is not smooth," he explained.
When I think about that time, coach Ko Yoon-sung is still upset. Coach Ko Yoon-sung, who recently met with Star News at Masan High School, said, "At that time, (Ahn) Hyun-min was not Yves. Rather, (Kim) Do-young was strong enough to die while stealing. Some scouts may have seen it that way, but it wasn't that they couldn't throw the ball."
"On the contrary, I had Ips in middle school, but I overcame it well because (Ahn) Hyun-min's personality was so positive. However, when throwing to the pitcher, the arm-throwing was sloppy. When I was in first grade, I was timid and threw a little at the older members. He added, "I made the process of throwing again in the second grade, and it got better gradually."
Bad luck overlapped. Coach Ko Yoon-sung said, "(Ahn) Hyun-min had a brief slump at the beginning of the third year season, but he got the hang of it and hit a batting average of 300 in March. But at that time, Lee Min-seok (Lotte Giants) hit the ball and cracked the back of his hand. So it took me a while to get the hang of it again," he recalled.
He is a teacher who directly called scouts because of the undervaluation of his student who strives in hiding more than anyone else. Coach Ko Yoon-sung said, "(Ahn) Hyun-min is not as good as (Kim) Do-young, but he really batted well. However, he expressed his frustration, saying, "I heard that I may not be nominated or not be able to receive it because of throwing the ball." "It was so frustrating that I asked the scouts to come to school and watch him work out once. I thought Hyun-min would know how to exercise just once, so I just said that," he added.
Thus, KT Scouts stayed in Masan High School, confirmed Ahn Hyun-min's desperation and desperation in the training process and attitude, and decided to nominate him. Ahn did not betray the trust of his high school teachers and KT scouts. When I went on vacation, I stopped by Masan High School for batting training. When the lights went out, I did weight training from 2-3 a.m.
When he went professional, he sent a batting video to coach Ko Yoon-sung and his seniors to make up for his disappointment even when he hit a batting average of 360. Despite being busy with last year's end-of-year awards, his last step was always at the training center. Coach Ko Yoon-sung also went to Suwon KT Wiz Park for a group tour in hopes that his disciples would grow their dreams of becoming professionals like Ahn Hyun-min.
Coach Ko said, "Last year, we advanced to the quarterfinals (Golden Lion) and led the students to watch the game. I didn't go to show you how good I am at baseball. I wanted to show how sincere Hyun-min is in baseball and what kind of attitude he should have as a professional player, so I took my parents with me," he said.
He said, "All prospects will work hard. However, if he likes baseball like (Ahn) Hyun-min, he believed that he could succeed if he competed with the professional's good facilities and seniors, even if his immediate ability level dropped a little, he said with a smile, "I feel sorry for Hyun-min, who is too old for his age as a manager, but he is a very proud student."
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*This content was translated by AI.
