*This content was translated by AI.
Park Geun-seo (18, Seoul Design High School) did not stand out significantly until last year but has risen like a new star in high school baseball this season. Park, who was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) at the 4th High School-University All-Star Game in June, is now ready to take the mound with his first Taegeuk mark on his uniform.
Park Geun-seo, currently participating in the Asian Youth Baseball Championship being held in Taiwan, said, "Until my second year of high school, I was a player with no name at all. It still feels amazing that I was selected for the Lee Reoh-ge (CEO) team and get to train with such wonderful friends. I never thought the day would come when I'd be in the spotlight."
Although he is a young player who has not yet stepped onto the professional stage, Park Geun-seo's journey has been quite arduous. He underwent surgery on his left elbow during his first year of high school and had to go through a rehabilitation process with no known end date. Park recalled, "When I heard I needed surgery, I was extremely worried. Such things don't happen often in high school, so it was truly scary."
Even while recovering and rehabilitating the following year, his only strong desire was to get back on the mound as soon as possible. To gain more playing opportunities, he transferred from Chungam High School to Seoul Design High School. However, adults stopped the young player's impatience. Park said, "The head coach and coaches at Seoul Design High School told me not to rush because I could do better next year. They said they would give me more time to build my body well." He added, "Many people around me told me that I would succeed, which became a great motivation for me."
Thanks to a slow and solid rehabilitation process, he has achieved the best physical condition to throw his pitches, which became the factor that exploded his potential this season. His top recorded speed this season was 149 km/h. The ball, which was 137 km/h before surgery, now has much more power. Park said, "I think I have grown a lot thanks to the rehabilitation and exercises I did after surgery. I lost weight and also bulked up, and with the great help of my school coaches, I changed my mechanics."
Park Geun-seo is frequently mentioned as a candidate to be selected in an upper round of the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft scheduled for the 21st. If Kiwoom Heroes, holding the first-round draft right, selects Ha Hyun-seung, and Doosan Bears, with the second-round pick, selects Kim Ji-woo, attention will focus on KIA's choice in the third round. There is a fairly high possibility that KIA will get the chance to select Park Geun-seo.
He stated his true feelings: "In the future, my goal is to reach a position where my name is mentioned first when people say 'Korean left-handed pitcher.' I want to succeed and then take good care of Seoul Design High School juniors who enter the professional league."
After the interview ended, overseas baseball fans sitting nearby approached Park Geun-seo to get autographs on baseballs and take commemorative photos. Holding up social networking service (SNS) photos featuring Park's face, they showed them to reporters and gave him a thumbs-up, calling him an "excellent player." Park smiled, saying, "It's the first time foreign fans have waited for me like this. It feels like my birthday."
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*This content was translated by AI.
