"Moon Jung-bin, I think he will do incredibly well going forward." Park Byung-ho, the legend with 418 career home runs who left LG, draws attention from an "Elly" (LG Twins fan) who was drafted in the 8th round

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"Watching LG's Moon Jung-bin this season, I felt he would do incredibly well going forward. I hope he grows well."

A right-handed slugger who never fully bloomed with the LG Twins placed his hopes in a new power-hitting prospect from his former team after 15 years. Park Byung-ho (40), head coach of the Kiwoom Heroes reserve team and a legend with 418 career home runs in the KBO League, highly evaluated the growth potential of Moon Jung-bin (23, LG).

Coach Park Byung-ho shared his impressions while meeting with reporters on the 14th ahead of the "Jamsil The Last Inning" game held at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium. "Since I also joined LG as a rookie, Jamsil was my first professional baseball stadium. When I was young, Jamsil Stadium was a place where you could only play if you made it to the first division. So there are memories of me working really hard there. It is very disappointing that such a place is disappearing. In fact, since retiring last year, I have not been able to visit Jamsil Stadium even once while teaching my juniors, so I am grateful for this invitation."

Coach Park was a top prospect recognized for his power hitting as early as his days at Seongnam High School. He entered the professional ranks in 2005 after being selected by LG with the first overall pick in the draft, but he struggled to secure a spot with LG. Ultimately, his baseball career changed after he was traded to the Nexen Heroes (now Kiwoom Heroes) in 2011. Starting with 31 home runs in 2012, he hit 52 home runs in 2014 and 53 home runs in 2015.

He became the first player in KBO League history to hit 50 or more home runs for two consecutive years, winning the home run championship six times and being named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the regular season twice. Park Byung-ho, who also made it to Major League Baseball (MLB), played for the KT Wiz and Samsung Lions before retiring last year. He left behind a career record of 418 home runs and 1,244 RBIs, and is currently guiding his juniors as the head coach of the Kiwoom reserve team.

For Park Byung-ho, who completed his dream of becoming a slugger with another team after failing to do so with LG, a junior from his former team trying to follow in his footsteps caught his eye. Moon Jung-bin was not a player who received glamorous expectations from the start. After graduating from Gadong Elementary School, Jamsin Middle School, and Seoul High School, Moon Jung-bin was selected by LG in the 8th round, 77th overall pick of the 2022 KBO Rookie Draft.

He also had a unique narrative as an "Elly" (LG Twins + child), having visited Jamsil Baseball Stadium holding hands with his father, Moon Seung-hoon (60), a KBO umpire, to cheer for LG since childhood. However, the wall of professional baseball was high. After completing his military service, he stepped onto the first division stage for the first time last year but managed only a .167 batting average (5 hits in 30 at-bats), 2 home runs, and 4 RBIs in 21 games. It was expected that he would also have difficulty getting many opportunities in the first division this year.

Yet Moon Jung-bin made a major turnaround this year. Despite limited opportunities, he expanded his presence with impactful home runs. On July 28 against Kiwoom at Jamsil, he hit his 10th home run of the season, completing his first double-digit home run season. On August 18 against KT at Jamsil, he even hit his career-first grand slam off So Hyoung-jun (25). He rose to a regular role and finished his first full-time season with a .277 batting average (81 hits in 292 at-bats), 19 home runs, 66 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.893 in 91 regular season games.

His potential was also recognized in the postseason. Moon Jung-bin started as the number four hitter and first baseman in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Doosan Bears on October 14. He also started as the number four hitter from Game 1 in the Junior Playoffs against the KIA Tigers. The end was regrettable. LG lost to KIA in a three-game sweep in the Junior Playoffs and were eliminated.

In particular, in Game 3 held at Jamsil on October 20, an error by Moon Jung-bin, who failed to properly field Han Jun-su's grounder in the top of the second inning, became a trigger for a large number of runs allowed. LG lost 1-13 and ended their season. While he proved clear growth potential offensively, his first postseason also revealed challenges regarding defense and experience in big games.

Park Byung-ho emphasized that for junior sluggers like Moon Jung-bin to grow, they must accurately understand their own strengths. He advised, "To hit many home runs, you need a certain level of physical condition or ability. There are players with such abilities, and there are players who aim for a .300 batting average and need to hit many hits. I hope they can distinguish between these types well and grow accordingly."

He also shared his experience on how to hit home runs at Jamsil Baseball Stadium. Park Byung-ho explained, "Jamsil is big. Even when I was hitting 50 home runs, I came as a visiting team and hit home runs there, but because the fences are the farthest, I tried not to be conscious of it. That is how you can get more home runs."

He continued, "First, you must not think about the stadium itself. The same applies to small stadiums. It is true that because they are close, you might tense up and fail to hit. Whether it is a small or large stadium, you should not be conscious of it," encouraging his juniors.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original