"The training was exactly three hours, and the concentration was different." The best stage presented by KBO and the U.S. "What was different" that the top prospects in South Korea saw Korea.

*This content was translated by AI.

Korea's top baseball prospects have expanded their knowledge through the best stage presented by the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

KBO conducted a development program at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, USA from January 2nd to January 31st (local time). This year is the first overseas training program as an extension of the KBO Next-Level Training Camp (hereinafter referred to as the Next Level Camp), which began in 2022. The IMG Academy is a comprehensive sports education institution with state-of-the-art facilities and professional coaches, the first year they won the bid.

Sixteen high school first-year students (pitcher 6, catcher 2, infielder 5, outfielder 3) who showed sincerity in the 67-day Next Level Camp participated. Technical training, games, and APD (Exercise Performance Development) sessions were conducted under the leadership of baseball professional leaders (coaches and trainers), and the players were reported to have high satisfaction.

A KBO official who led the students said in a recent call with Star News, "First of all, the facility was really good. "There were more than six baseball stadiums, and the weather was warm enough to run in short-sleeved clothes, so the players liked it," he said. One of the participating students, Yoo Shin-go Moon Jun-hyuk (17), also said, "It was an environment that tasted like playing baseball. Not only my friends who went with me, but also my American friends who were there were all fast and in good physical condition, so I had a desire to win," he said.

Korean prospects were well received by IMG coaches and Major League scouts. Cho Sung-joon (17), a left-hander at Chungam High School, overwhelmed his fellow U.S. prospects by throwing a fast ball of up to 150 kilometers per hour. It is said that right-hander Moon Jun-hyuk also showed no significant difference from his peers abroad, showing potential with a fast ball of up to 148 kilometers per hour.

A KBO official said, "All six pitchers received good reviews other than (Cho) Sung-joon and (Moon) Jun-hyuk. Not only pitchers but also fielders complimented U.S. coaches for doing well. Of course, I think our players were stimulated and felt a bigger world because the American players had really good physicality."

The training program was systematic. The second and third weeks of January combined with training, and the fourth and fifth weeks combined with two actual games a week. Existing IMG Academy students were trained in the morning and in the afternoon, so Korean students were trained in the morning.

IMG Academy has also set up a customized training program for Korean players. The data analyst delivered characteristics such as speed and rotation for each bullpen pitching, providing an opportunity for players to objectify themselves a little more. It is also analyzed that drill training (technical training) that is not common in Korea was interesting.

A KBO official said, "I didn't feel that the training schedule itself was very different, maybe because of the short period. However, he said, "There are many different things about good drill training that players usually do, so it would be good to benchmark it."

Rather, he says that the most impressive thing was the concentration of American prospects in training. U.S. prospects received morning classes and group training from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. only about 3 hours and 30 minutes. After that, each person did the personal training they needed. At the same time, he got enough rest two days a week.

Moon Jun-hyuk said, "The training was completely systematic. I only train in the afternoon, but first I drill for myself according to my own routine. Then we all get together and do weight training, and it was impressive to do just the fixed number and number."

Cho Sung-joon also said, "I'm usually very playful and good at talking, but my concentration was very high when I went into training. Before meeting, I thought the American players would vaguely do what they wanted to do and be free, but their attitude toward training was different," he said.

KBO is planning to send prospective players abroad for a short time in the future. It aims to expand the scope of IMG Academy as well as to experience various programs. The two prospects who became the first hitters will also enter the second year season with extraordinary determination. Coincidentally, both of them aim to select the youth national team.

Moon Jun-hyuk said, "I'm a first-year student and I'm on the fast side of the ball. The strength of throwing sliders and changeups is that the slider angle is fast and fast. Now, I'm practicing by learning curves from coach Kwon Oh-joon," he said with strength.

"This time, I went to the United States and felt that I lacked control. I also got hit a lot of breaking balls, but I want to supplement my control and try pitching with fastball pitches. It was a very helpful trip to the United States, and I will use this experience to try the second-year youth national team like (Oh) Jae-won," he said, expressing his strong ambition.

Cho Sung-joon said, "Just playing baseball in the U.S. seems to have helped me a lot. I learned a lot from coach Bong Jung-geun outside of baseball there. The most memorable thing comes to mind is that pitchers must take good care of their team members unconditionally. He said, "You always have to take good care of the catcher and the fielders behind you to catch him even harder when you throw."

"This year, I want to throw a maximum speed of 150 kilometers per hour in any speed gun and raise the average speed limit a lot. And as a second grader, I want to go to the youth national team," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.