Baseball fans are very interested in whether rookies will join the 1st team spring camp. Players named in the first round, such as Kim Seo-hyeon (Hanwha Eagles) and Yoon Young-chul (KIA Tigers), are already in the spotlight. Fans hope that they will bring a new wind to the team this season and be a great addition.
The first step is the 1st team spring camp. Going to the first-team camp means that the player is well prepared and has high expectations.
However, LG Twins’ ‘proper noun’ Kim Beom-seok is missing from the Arizona camp roster. LG departs for the United States on the 30th and will hold a spring camp at the San Francisco Giants Baseball Complex in Scottsdale, Arizona from February 1st.
During the spring camp, 6 members of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team (Kim Hyun-soo, Oh Ji-hwan, Park Hae-min, Ko Woo-suk, Jung Woo-young, and Kim Yun-shik) were left out, increasing the number of players to 43. Among them, it is known that only one 2023 rookie was selected. It is not Kim Beom-seok, but Park Myeong-geun, the pitcher selected in the third round. As a sidearm pitcher who throws 150 km fast, he has the potential to grow into a middle pitcher like Jung Woo-young. 안전놀이터
LG does not put them in the 1st team camp unless they are in good shape. In particular, newcomers check their physical condition more thoroughly. When a rookie goes to the 1st team camp, there is a possibility of over-pacing in order to catch the eye of the 1st team coaching staff, and even if there is an injury to the body, it can be hidden and the injury can grow, so this is to prevent this.
So, it is not easy to find a rookie in LG’s first-team spring camp roster. In the past, only one person participated, including Kim Yun-sik in 2020, Lee Young-bin in 2021, and Choi Yong-ha last year.
Kim Bum-seok is also not in perfect physical condition. It’s his right shoulder. Cha Myung-seok, general manager of LG, said, “Kim Bum-seok has a bad shoulder. Last year, he played with endurance.”
At the time of nomination, Kim Bum-seok became a hot topic with the words of Director Cha. Director Cha said, “I picked Kim Beom-seok as the reason for selecting Kim Beom-seok in the first round,” and “I think the proper noun of the name Kim Beom-seok will become synonymous with Korean baseball.” His performance last year raises expectations enough. In 25 games last year, Kim Bum-seok posted a batting average of 33.7 (28 hits in 83 at-bats), 10 home runs, 31 RBIs, a slugging percentage of 0.759, and an OPS of 1.227. He set the record for the most home runs in a season since using a wooden bat in high school baseball, and won the 6th Lee Man-soo Home Run Award.
At the World Youth Baseball Championship, interest in Kim Beom-seok grew as he played an active part as the fourth hitter. So, failing to join the 1st team camp can come as a disappointment to the fans. However, he need not be disappointed as his first-team camp does not lead to his first-team debut. It is more important for him to grow into a healthy body and come to the first team.