Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, USA, where players of the national baseball team are sweating before the World Baseball Classic (WBC), which opens on the 8th of next month. About 10 men in black sunglasses gather here every day. They are scouts sent by major league clubs.
People from all over the United States have visited the stadium since the 15th, when the national team was convened, and have been watching the ground with ‘hawk eyes’. Starting with the scouts of the Chicago Cubs, ahead of the practice game against the NC Dinos on the 16th, scouts from nine clubs watched the game from one side of the crowd. He was a scout dispatched by the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, New York Mets, and Detroit Tigers.
They mainly watched Lee Jung-hoo (25, Kiwoom Heroes)’s performance closely. Lee Jung-hoo, who won 5 batting crowns and the MVP award last year, is the best star in the KBO League. He is praised for his talent as well as his personality and star quality. Even in the early days of his debut in 2017, he could not escape from the shadow of his father, Lee Jong-beom, but he rose to the top star position through tearful efforts.
Lee Jung-hoo already officially announced that he would advance to the United States in December of last year. He revealed that after this season, he will knock on the door of the major leagues through the posting system. Last month, he joined hands with Boras Corporation, run by ‘super agent’ Scott Boras, to enter the major leagues.
Major League clubs expect Lee Jung-hoo to show great success in the big leagues, considering that he is still young in his mid-twenties and has received military service exemption benefits with the gold medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. Reflecting this interest, MLB.com, the official homepage of Major League Baseball, is also pouring out articles related to Lee Jung-hoo every day. Major league scouts are also meticulously watching Lee Jung-hoo, visiting Kiwoom’s US spring camp and the national team’s training ground several times. In particular, San Francisco officials showed great interest as they stamped attendance every day.
Lee Jung-hoo still has a calm expression. He said, “I am not very conscious of (the scouts),” and “I heard that the evaluation related to me was over. He said, “I think he came to see other players who want to advance to the US, such as Go Woo-seok, Jung Woo-young, Kang Baek-ho, and Kim Hye-seong.”
Even so, he did not hide his sincere mindset and determination to participate in the WBC. In particular, he is revising his batting form at the national team camp to improve his accuracy ahead of his advance to the major leagues. He is working on more concise movements to effectively deal with fast balls exceeding 150 km/h. 카지노
Lee Jung-hoo said, “I am trying many things. He said, “I am looking for a motion that I can feel comfortable while changing my batting form.” “There are still many practice games left. He said, “I will find a hitting form that suits me through various experiments.”
The team’s first goal is to advance to the quarterfinals. Korea was placed in Group B with Japan, Australia, China and the Czech Republic ahead of the first round held in Tokyo, Japan next month. On the 9th of next month, we will play the first match against Australia. If the first round is passed, the second round will be held in Miami, Florida, USA. Korea advances to the quarterfinals if it finishes in second place in its group in the first round of the finals, and if it defeats the first or second place team in Group A, it can step on the stage of the semifinals.
Lee Jung-hoo said, “First of all, we have to win the first game against Australia unconditionally. Considering that the next opponent is Japanese, we must win the first match,” he said.