Choi Min-seok: "Started in the minors after turning pro → Vowed to outperform classmates Hyun-woo and Woo-ju while watching them" [HOT Interview ②]

*This content was translated by AI.

Doosan Bears pitcher Choi Min-seok (20) is known for his "smiling face," or what's called a "smiling profile." He is aware of this himself. He said, "I tend to smile naturally when I see people's faces or cameras."

Beneath that smiling face lay a fierce competitive spirit. Choi Min-seok revealed, "Right after my professional debut, while I was in the minors, I saw my draft classmates performing well and vowed that I had to outperform them."

[Choi Min-seok HOT Interview]

① This is KBO's top pitcher; he reveals his secret: "Even though it spins less than last year..."

② "Started in the minors after turning pro → Vowed to outperform classmates Hyun-woo and Woo-ju while watching them"

Continued from Part 1.

- Let's go back in time a bit. How did you start playing baseball?

▲ My father loved baseball so much that we started playing catch together, and I officially began in the third grade at Seongnam Hwimangdae Elementary School in Gyeonggi Province. When my family moved to Seoul in the fourth grade, I transferred to Jungdae Elementary School. At that time, I think I was inspired by watching videos of Choo Shin-soo from the U.S. Major Leagues and started dreaming big.

- Why did you choose to become a pitcher?

▲ Originally, I was an infielder (shortstop or third baseman), but my elementary school coach told me to try pitching. At first, I used a sidearm delivery, but by the second year of middle school (Yangcheon Middle School), when I grew to 181 cm, I switched to an overhand style. As I did, my pitch speed increased and my confidence grew significantly. By high school (Seoul High School), I focused solely on pitching.

- Did you have a role model player?

▲ I really liked Jacob deGrom (38, Texas Rangers) from the Major Leagues, so I watched tons of his videos and even tried to copy his form. It looked amazing how he dominated batters with just two pitches: a fastball and a slider.

- When you debuted last year, didn't you have ambitions for Rookie of the Year?

▲ Yes. From the moment I was drafted (2025 Rookie Draft, 2nd round, 16th pick), I naturally thought, "I definitely want to win Rookie of the Year." However, once I entered the professional league, I started in the minors and saw how well my draft classmates were performing, so I realized it wouldn't be easy. As I moved up to the first division (1st team), that ambition grew again. (In 2025, Choi Min-seok made his 1st team debut on May 21 and finished the season with 17 games, 77⅔ innings, 3 wins, 3 losses, and an ERA of 4.40.)

- This year, you're posting better results than your draft classmates Jung Hyun-woo (Kiwoom Heroes) and Jung Woo-ju (Hanwha Eagles, 2nd round pick), among others. How does that feel?

▲ (Last year) When I was first in the minors, Jung Hyun-woo became a winning pitcher, and Jung Woo-ju also pitched well before eventually making it to the national team. Seeing those performances gave me huge motivation, and I often thought, "I need to work harder and outperform them." (Jung Hyun-woo, the overall 1st pick, and Jung Woo-ju, the 2nd pick, both signed with contract bonuses of 500 million won each, while Choi Min-seok received 150 million won. The 2025 Rookie of the Year was KT Wiz An Hyeon-min-i (수상), who joined in 2022.)

- Were you close with Doosan Bears draft classmate Park Jun-soon (1st round, 6th pick ·Graduate of Deoksu High School)?

▲ We've become close now, but we never met until after high school. Although we're both from Seoul, our schools' weekend league regions were different, so we never faced each other. I only knew his name at that time.

- If you had performed as well last year as you have this year, Rookie of the Year would have been practically yours. Aren't you disappointed?

▲ Because I had that experience last year, I feel like this year exists because of it, so honestly, I don't feel much regret.

Continued in [Choi Min-seok HOT Interview ③].

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*This content was translated by AI.