"Third base defense is the best in the country." Despite favorable scouting reviews, he gained 8kg, Masan Yongmago Choi Min-sang said, "Role model Kim Joo-won and Jeon Tae-hyun, I will challenge for the most hits."" [Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

Choi Min-sang (18), who led Masan Yongmago, which is considered a dark horse again this year, boldly aimed to win the national championship.

Masan Yongmago, led by head coach Jin Min-soo, failed to enjoy the joy of winning its first national competition, staying in second place in both E-Mart and Bonghwangdae last year. However, he is said to be capable of reaching the semifinals of the national tournament again this year with a stable mound and a well-organized lineup.

The player at the center is Ututta third baseman and Captain Choi Min-sang. The most highly regarded tool by KBO scouts is defense. Compared to Kim Ji-woo (18, Seoul High School) and Lee Ho-min (18, Gyeongnam High School), who are also classified as candidates for the top round of the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft, they are said to be superior in defense. KBO Scout A told Star News, "Choi Min-sang is the best defense in the country. There is a clear difference between Lee Ho-min and Kim Ji-woo in terms of stability."

It is explained that he does not kneel compared to Kim Ji-seok (19, Keum Heroes), Incheon High School, who was nominated for the first time in the second round last year for his strong shoulders and stable defense. Another KBO scout B said, "Choi Min-sang has the highest defensive completeness among third basemen this year. Compared to Kim Ji-seok, who was nominated in the second round last year, his throwing ability is better. "In terms of comprehensive aspects such as throwing accuracy and intensity, handling and movement at the time of port, defense can be considered a step up," he explained.

His batting performance is not bad either. Choi Min-sang hit .352 (37 hits in 105 at-bats) in 33 games last year, five home runs, 36 RBIs, 27 runs and seven steals, 16 walks (four balls that fit 12 walks) with 22 strikeouts, an on-base percentage of .562 and an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of 0.989. Nevertheless, there were scouts looking for the cause of ordinary bat speed for reasons that were not discussed much in the batting area.

KBO Scout B said, "However, Choi Min-sang did not seem to be faster than expected. His batting speed is also about average. In a way, it is a type of hitting with timing or balance rather than batting speed. Still, the wrist is very thick, so I think it has the potential to hit long balls. I want to wait and see how I do this year," he said.

In fact, the player himself focused a little more on contact. I tried not to miss my body balance while gaining 8kg more weight throughout the winter. Choi Min-sang, who contacted Star News before the start of the weekend league, said, "I thought the most important thing is defense, so I made my body hard. "It was the hardest to gain weight," he said. "In terms of hitting, I struck out a little bit last year. We have prepared a lot to supplement that and increase our slugging power," he said with strength.

While taking him to Sajik Baseball Stadium from his grandfather to his father, the Busan boy started playing baseball early in the first grade of elementary school. After graduating from middle school, I met many good seniors and I could not lose my hope for baseball.

Choi Min-sang said, "Now, I don't have a particular team I like, but I often watch games with players I like. I watch a lot of (former) Tae-hyun's games since last year, Kim Joo-won said with a smile. "Kim Joo-won is always kind and good at teaching us anything whenever he comes to our school. I've trained with him, and he's very soft in defense. He stressed that he is a role model because the throw is very accurate and the balance is very good even though it is a switch heater.

His older brother, Jeon Tae-hyun, who is two years older, was not a scary third-year senior to him, but a friendly senior. Choi Min-sang said, "In addition to Kim Joo-won, I want to emulate (former) Tae-hyun." Tae-hyun, who watched closely, was a player who tried to make up for his shortcomings in individual training sessions even after team training. He also recalled, "I want to be a baseball player like Tae-hyun because he's always kind enough to let me know what I'm curious about."

In order for Masan Yongmago to perform well this year, the performance of Choi Min-sang, the center hitter and the core of the infield, is important. Choi Min-sang said, "I'm confident that my soft defense, accurate throwing and shoulder strength will not lose to anyone. "I'm most confident in a defense that can kill a batter at any time based on my strong shoulders," he said. "I want to show you what I've prepared since last fall." And the higher our team goes, the more I think my skills can be displayed properly," he said.

He said, "I don't have a numerical goal, but I thought it was cool for Park Bo-seung of Gyeongnam High School to hit 51 hits (the highest number of hits in high school) last year. I also want to aim for the most high school hits and run toward winning the team," he said, expressing his strong ambition.

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*This content was translated by AI.