'Ma-hwang' Almost Never Happened: "Didn't Get Drafted, Nearly Quit Baseball to Go to College, Paid Off Student Loans with Signing Bonus" [Hwang Seong-bin HOT Interview Part 2]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

It was possible that 'Ma-hwang' would never be seen in the KBO League.

Hwang Seong-bin (29), an outfielder for Lotte Giants, considered quitting baseball after not being selected in the rookie draft upon graduating from Sorae High School. However, with his parents' persuasion, he enrolled at Gyeongnam National University and four years later joined Lotte, reaching today's position.

[Hwang Seong-bin HOT Interview]

① Behind-the-scenes of the All-Star Game: "I asked the manager, 'If you want to walk a dog, you need an owner'"

② 'Ma-hwang' Almost Never Happened: "Didn't Get Drafted, Nearly Quit Baseball to Go to College, Paid Off Student Loans with Signing Bonus"

Continued from Part 1.

- Let's talk about the past now. You weren't selected in the 2016 KBO rookie draft, right?

▶ Yes, that's correct. My high school performance was decent, so I had hoped for a lower round... but it was very disappointing.

- That must have been really hard.

▶ I struggled a lot with whether to go to college or not after not being drafted. I even considered quitting baseball entirely. After all, investing four years doesn't guarantee an uncertain future; no one can predict it. Plus, I'm the eldest of three siblings (two brothers and one sister), so my parents had already done everything they could for me. Not bringing back results felt unbearable.

- So you ended up going to Gyeongnam National University.

▶ My parents suggested I go to college. At that young age, I impulsively said, "If you let me do this, I'll pay the tuition myself for four years." And I did. For four years, I paid tuition through student loans, then after signing with a professional team and receiving a 70 million won signing bonus, I paid it all off in one lump sum. That was my first promise to myself at age 20, and I remember keeping it.

- Four years later, in the 2020 draft, you were selected by Lotte in the second round, 44th overall. Did you expect that?

▶ I thought I would get drafted. I was invited to the KBO (Korea Baseball Organization) draft site and attended. Also, I believed my college performance was excellent. I still remember: over four years, I played 70 games, recorded 111 hits with a .411 batting average and stole 85 bases. It would have been better if the round had been higher, but going pro was my first goal since childhood, so just being able to wear a professional baseball uniform made me excited.

- Right after joining the team, you entered active duty in April 2020.

▶ I couldn't make it to the first division in my first year and prepared in the minor league. Initially, I thought I'd serve about a year before enlisting, but due to COVID-19, the regular season opening was delayed until May 5. The club then asked, "What do you think about going to the military quickly?" After some thought, since I had to resolve my military obligation anyway, I clicked on the Military Manpower Administration's site for first-come, first-served enlistment and succeeded immediately, enlisting 13 days later.

- I understand your jersey number changed several times after joining. How did you end up with No. 0?

▶ I wore No. 0 as a rookie. After returning from the military in 2022, I wore No. 40. Then in 2023, wanting to carry on the image of former Lotte Giants player and coach Jeon Jun-ho (57) from Daejeon, I switched to No. 1. Unfortunately, that year I got injured and my performance was poor. When An Kwon-soo (33) left the team, I took over his No. 0 starting in 2024.

- After going through those times, you've now become a senior in the team. Especially as the most senior among Lotte's famous "Yun-Na-Go-Hwang" (Yoon Dong-hee born 2003, Na Seung-yeop born 2002, Go Seung-min born 2000, Hwang Seong-bin born 1997), you must feel a strong sense of responsibility.

▶ Last year, we all played poorly... First, I spend a lot of time privately with the younger players below me, so we're very close. During games, since I often lead off, those three players (Yun-Na-Go) are almost always right behind me in the lineup. I always think that if I can just get on base somehow, the batters behind me will hit well and bring me home. So, how many bases I can reach greatly influences the team's offensive performance, which is why I focus most on that aspect.

- Do you give a lot of advice as a senior?

▶ I try to say positive things. But I often feel that my juniors are surprisingly mature for their age. I couldn't think that deeply at their age, so I'm also learning from them. I believe this is one of the positive influences of team sports.

- Your nickname is 'Ma-hwang' (meaning 'Hwang with devilish intensity'). Do you like it?

▶ Yes, I do. It's probably my favorite nickname. It has a catchy feel that sticks in the mouth.

Continued in Part 3 of [Hwang Seong-bin HOT Interview].

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.View Original