The 8th round of 'National Catcher Vacancy' is dreaming of a miracle, Kim Jung-ho and Shin Min-woo's earnestness "Must be sure when NC needs it."

*This content was translated by AI.

Main catcher Kim Hyung-joon (27, NC Dinos) joined the national team as a substitute. The absence of a main player without a replacement is an opportunity for someone. For the two catchers, who were hidden by Kim Hyung-joon and did not receive high expectations with the eighth round, it is a great opportunity to appeal themselves.

The NC Dinos played a blue-and-white match at Tucson Enexfield in Arizona on the 27th (Korea Standard Time).

The most eye-catching was the two catchers who became MVP of the game. Kim Jung-ho (28), who played as the eighth hitter catcher of the blue team, and Shin Min-woo (20) who played as the ninth designated hitter of the white team on the day.

Kim Jung-ho, who was named MVP for his four RBIs with two hits (two doubles) in two at-bats against Cheongbaek on the 18th, made a strong impression by blocking stolen bases three times in a game against Cheongbaek on the 20th, and led the Blue team to a 9-5 victory with three hits and one RBI in four at-bats.

Kim Jung-ho, who had a left-handed hit against Shin Min-hyuk in the top of the second inning, hit a timely RBI reversal to Park Ji-han with one out and second base in the fifth inning when the two teams faced 2-2. In the seventh inning, he stepped down with a fly ball to left field with one out and one out, but in the ninth inning, he hit his third hit against Kim Tae-kyung.

Kim Jung-ho, who wore the NC uniform as the 76th overall pick in the second eighth round of the 2021 rookie draft after going through Pohang Steel High School and Sungkyunkwan University, only made his debut in the first team last year after playing only in Futures. He played only eight games, but had four hits in nine at-bats.

After last season, Park Se-hyuk left in a trade and Kim Hyung-joon is out, raising expectations. According to NC, Kim Jung-ho said, "I don't think I played well enough to receive the MVP of today's game. When I hit, I try to relax as much as possible, so I don't think the recent hitting is bad, he said. "In defense, I think maintaining a daily routine with coach Kim Sang-hoon led to good results."

You will meet a stronger opponent than in the first team. He will play three practice games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Diego Padres, and the Chicago White Sox. Kim Jung-ho said, "Now there is a warm-up match with MLB clubs, but I try not to be conscious to do too well. If you try too well, you can make mistakes, so we will play with a calm mind to show what we have prepared so far in the game, he said. "My goal this season is to play as many games as possible in the N team (first team). "When someone has to fill a gap or the team needs it, we will constantly prepare the team to perform the role it needs at any time," he said.

Another catcher, Shin Min-woo, was also selected as one of the MVP despite the team's loss with two hits and one RBI in two at-bats, including a triple.

Shin Min-woo, who joined NC as the 77th player in the eighth round in the 2025 rookie draft, has yet to make his first-team debut, but he performed well with a batting average of 0.295 in 21 Futures League games last year.

In this camp, he hit hard with 4 hits in 4 at-bats (two doubles) in the match against Cheongbaek on the 24th, and in the match, he also hit 2 at-bats in 2 at-bats, impressing head coach Lee Ho-joon with 6 consecutive hits.

Shin Min-woo said, "I played as a designated hitter instead of defense today, but I entered the game with the intention of making a play that helps the team regardless of location and role. I tried to focus on each at-bat as much as possible, and in the process, I think the part that I tried to be more strict with myself led to today's game, he said. "I've been showing good batting recently, and I think the things I prepared during the camp are coming out naturally."

"Especially since the Okinawa camp, I have modified some of the hitting mechanisms and approaches with my coach, and the changes are working well with my style. The results are coming out well, but I still feel that there are a lot of things to supplement," he said, adding, "The biggest goal above all is to play the season steadily without getting hurt. I am not satisfied with the current good sense, and I will try to continue this trend for a long time while preparing for the beginning of each game. I want to be a player who makes sure that the team does its role at the moment when it is needed," he said.

You can never let go of the tension. Rookie Lee Hee-sung (19), picked by NC in the second round, is also receiving high expectations, including a timely RBI that saves the chase in the game. Lee Hee-sung also had hits in four of the five Blue and White games, and made multi-hits in two of them. Kim Hyung-joon is away, but the three catchers are competing fiercely to make manager Lee Ho-joon happy.

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*This content was translated by AI.