“He’s more seasoned than I was in my second year” National shortstop admires Lee Jae-hyun, who is already challenging to be a ‘complete shortstop’

Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man, who was once known as the “national shortstop” during his playing days, is full of praise for the team’s starting shortstop, Lee Jae-hyun. It’s only his second season in the league, and he’s already looking like a complete shortstop. Samsung has an offensive and defensive center fielder who will anchor the team’s infield for the next decade or more.

Jae-hyun Lee, who joined the team in 2022, has fully established himself as the team’s starting shortstop this year in his second season. Jae-hyun showed promise in the 2022 season, hitting .235/ 54 doubles, 7 home runs, and 23 RBI in 75 games. This season, Jae-hyun has shown even more maturity, batting .249/ 93 doubles/ 10 home runs/ 46 RBIs in 115 games.

Samsung has played 115 games this season, and Jae-hyun has played in all 115 games as well, continuing his streak of playing in every game. Samsung manager Park Jin-man has helped Jae-hyun continue to play in all games after his recent dislocated shoulder injury. Achieving full playing time as the starting shortstop in his second season will be a major milestone in his career.

Manager Park Jin-man spoke to reporters ahead of the September 5 game against the Ulsan Lotte Giants, saying, “Jae-hyun is only in his second year with the team, but he’s already playing like a seasoned player, which is amazing. He must be under a lot of physical pressure as he continues his record of appearing in all games this season, but he is coping well. When I look back at my second season, I wasn’t that seasoned. I don’t feel nervous,” he said.

Park Jin-man grew into a national shortstop under the guidance of coach Kim Jae-bak’s ‘Hell Training’ during his active career. The same goes for the way Park looks at Lee Jae-hyun.

“When I was coached by Kim Jae-bak, I didn’t just go through hell training once in a while, but all the time (laughs). Thanks to that time, I gained a lot of confidence in my defense. It’s the same with Lee Jae-hyun. He’s been spending a lot of time on defense since camp, and he’s showing more relaxed play.”

Park also sees some strengths in Jae-hyun. Park wants him to be able to customize his pitches based on the batter’s focus.메이저놀이터

“I think he needs to grow more in the area of being able to adjust his pitch and delivery depending on the opponent’s runner’s focus or if it’s a miss. It also depends on whether you’re going for a backhanded catch or not, and whether you can put your weight on the ball and throw it. Over the course of the year, I’ll have data that says, “This is a common pitch for this hitter, and this is how I need to handle it. It’s something that requires both seasoning and technical growth, and I think Jae-hyun will be able to refine it.”

So who was the most challenging hitter Park faced during his career? Park mentioned an active player, not a retired one. It was NC Dinos outfielder Son Ah-seop.

“Personally, I remember catching Son’s pitches were really tricky. Because of his swing style, his balls have a lot of spin. He is also fast, so it was very difficult to catch infield grounders,” Park recalled.

Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man, who was once known as the “national shortstop” during his playing days, is full of praise for the team’s starting shortstop, Lee Jae-hyun. It’s only his second season in the league, and he’s already looking like a complete shortstop. Samsung has an offensive and defensive center fielder who will anchor…