‘No. 1 stolen base’ hitmaker with a desperate heart, commander encourages players to “work as hard as Kim Hae-sung”

Shin Min-jae has been one of the hottest commodities for LG this season.

The right-handed hitting infielder from Incheon High School joined Doosan as a developmental player in 2015 after going undrafted in the rookie draft. He played 95 games in the Futures League for two years in 2015 and 2016, but never got a first-team opportunity. After a stint as a social service worker, he was selected in the third round by LG in the November 2017 KBO Secondary Draft.

Shin made his first-team debut for LG in 2019 after being called up, but he started only 21 of his 195 career games until last year. He played a strictly supporting role as a utility player who specialized in pinch-hitting and played all six outfield positions except first base. Through five days, he has stolen 24 bases, leading the team in that category. He is having his best season since his professional debut, batting .322 with 43 hits (133-for-43), 12 RBIs and 27 runs scored.

Coach Yeom Kyung-yeop said of Shin, “He is a young mainstay of our team. He is one of LG’s hottest commodities this season, and if he leads the league in stolen bases and achieves a triple-digit batting average, he could win the Golden Glove.” “It will be the most unforgettable year of his baseball career. It’s a life-changing time in baseball.”

He emphasized the need to always keep in mind Shin’s meteoric rise to stardom. “I don’t know how many years Shin Min-jae will play as a starter from now on, but he should keep the desperation he felt last year with the Futures. If he keeps that until the day he quits baseball, he can keep his spot. On the other hand, if he doesn’t, his spot will be taken by someone else.”

In Yoon Kyung-yeop’s version of baseball, a pinch-hitter is essential. Yoo Jae-shin was a prime example when he was the Nexen manager. “I told Shin Min-jae, ‘You are unconditionally the first team, and you are an indispensable player in the kind of baseball I want to play,'” he said. The psychological pressure of failing to steal a base was very high. It’s my role to help him get rid of the burden.”

“I also told Shin Min-jae, ‘You can start as a pinch-hitter like Jung Soo-bin and become a starter.’ I saw him in camp and judged that his contact ability and direction were good enough to improve.”

Coach Yeom Kyung-yup said, “Shin Min-jae’s performance makes me very happy. He is still young enough to be a key player for about six to seven years. As a player who can have diversity in the batting order, he is an essential player in the baseball I am pursuing.”메이저사이트

He also gave advice on being a good person before being a good player. “You should always be sincere. Like Kim Ha-seong (San Diego Padres), you have to be a player who is sincere and hardworking, but you can’t talk about it, but you shouldn’t be a hater. He’s creating a good image. If you’re a jerk, you’re not going to be liked by the fans, and even if you’re good at baseball, you’re going to be less valuable in free agency. It’s important for the coaching staff to create an image for you. It’s the coaching staff’s job to create a player’s value.”