"I had confidence in my bat since high school": Busan University of Science and Technology's Kwon Hee-jae, who boasts a 1.9-second pop time to second base and a strong arm, why did he call himself an offensive catcher? [Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

Kwon Hee-jae (20), a sophomore catcher at Busan University of Science and Technology who was selected as a college all-star for two consecutive years, is challenging the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft.

Kwon Hee-jae is a right-handed batter and right-handed throwing catcher whose power stems from his solid build, standing 181 cm tall and weighing 91 kg according to the Korea Baseball and Softball Association (KBSA). He has been a catcher since the third grade of elementary school, and after attending Masan Yongma High School, he entered university where his skills have blossomed.

As of the end of the game on the 22nd, over his two years in college, he played in 33 games with a batting average of 0.306 (108 at-bats, 33 hits), 15 doubles, 1 home run, 25 RBIs, 23 runs scored, an on-base percentage of 0.423, and a slugging percentage of 0.491, surpassing an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.914. A KBO scout stated, "He is a player we need to watch a bit longer, but he is a catcher who is competent in both offense and defense. He has accumulated catcher experience by playing in many games. He is a player with a strength in offense who is on the draft radar."

Kwon Hee-jae also got into catching because he was fascinated by the catcher's perspective. Meeting with StarNews recently in Daejeon, he recalled, "I started playing baseball in the first grade of elementary school and played catcher in the third grade. As I continued, I felt a unique charm in looking at the field from the opposite direction by myself, and I enjoyed it without feeling it was difficult."

He added, "I like baseball, but I didn't favor any specific team. I followed players closely, and I liked senior Kang Min-ho from Samsung. Even though he is much older, I liked how smoothly and calmly he played. Recently, senior Kim Hyung-jun from NC has become my role model because he has soft hands and a strong arm."

College catchers have developed all their strengths. As adults, their muscle strength has improved significantly, and repeated appearances have allowed them to quickly accumulate experience. Among them, Kwon Hee-jae has been recognized for his growth, having been selected as a college all-star for two consecutive years at the High School-College All-Star Game.

Kwon Hee-jae said, "I did a lot of weight training after entering university, which greatly increased my power. Also, our school plays 120 to 130 games a year, and last year I handled almost all of them by myself. Our school plays more games than other schools, so I was able to accumulate a lot of experience thanks to that."

He continued, "My body has become more complete than in high school, so I think I was able to deliver the performance I had envisioned in my mind. Also, I have more composure than when I was young, so my confidence has grown significantly. I have also reduced my negative thoughts a lot."

Scouts commonly cite Kwon Hee-jae's strong arm as his strength. According to Kwon Hee-jae, his pop time (the time it takes for a catcher to remove the ball from the mitt after a steal attempt and deliver it to the infielder's glove to prevent a steal at second base) reaches a high of 1.87 seconds and an average of 1.9 seconds.

Kwon Hee-jae also emphasized, "My strength as a catcher is my strong arm. Preventing steals is my biggest advantage, and my blocking and catching are above average without any weaknesses."

He recalled, "The thing I focused on most this past winter was weight training. I had a tough full season and concentrated most on building my body. I also worked hard on recovery exercises, focusing on preventing steals and blocking to further leverage my strengths."

However, he shook his head at the public perception of him as a defensive catcher and claimed to be an offensive catcher. He is the one who represented his university in the home run derby at the 4th Hanwha Eagles Cup High School-College All-Star Game held on the 8th.

Kwon Hee-jae stated, "Recently, people have been calling me a defensive catcher, but I consider myself an offensive catcher. Personally, I had great confidence in my bat since high school. Even if my performance this year isn't good, I believe I have the ability to make contact, so I think I am a decent spray hitter."

This year, the evaluation is that the catcher pool is not bad. While there are no large-scale catchers expected to be drafted within the second round, there are many catcher resources across high schools and universities who are likely to go to the professional level. Kwon Hee-jae is expected as an immediate-ready catcher along with Yonsei University's Kim Dong-joo (22).

Kwon Hee-jae expressed his ambitious plans, saying, "I would be grateful if any team picks me. If I join the KBO League, I want to try catching pitches from pitchers who are better with fastballs than breaking balls. I want to meet seniors like An Woo-jin, who is said to have the best pitches in Korea, and Park Young-hyun. On the other hand, I also want to face those pitchers as a batter, testing strength against strength. As a batter who hits fast pitches well, I want to face them once."

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*This content was translated by AI.