Hanwha infielder Jeong Min-gyu (20) is a geopo prospect who joined Hanwha in the first nomination in 2021. A native of Busan High School, he was called up by Hanwha at a time when the bottom 3 teams were given the 1st national pick. Even though the infield rebuilding was almost complete, Hanwha couldn’t overlook the talent of Jung Min-kyu, who has the qualifications as a long hitter.
Two years have passed since his debut. He hasn’t shown anything in the first team yet. He played a total of 15 games, 6 games in 2021 and 9 last year, recording a batting average of 10.2 and 8 Lee (5 hits in 39 at bats). However, he showed steady growth in the 2nd Division Futures League. Last year, in 81 games, he had a batting average of 2.5 and 7 Lee 메이저사이트 (73 hits in 284 at-bats), 8 home runs and 51 RBIs. 1st in RBI in Northern League.
Choi Won-ho, coach of the Hanwha Futures, said, “I can see my skills improving year after year. Certainly, the player nominated for the first round has a reason for that,” he said. “Even with a fast ball, the timing is not late. I tried the infield position again on defense, and he is best at second base and first base. Pivot action at second base is good. If he does well, he can become a geopo-type second baseman like An Chi-hong (Lotte), and if there is no place at second base, he can be used as a first baseman. He was born in 2003, so he is young, and he has great potential for growth in the future.”
In December of last year, he was also accepted into the Sangmu baseball team. He is scheduled to enlist on May 8th, and is currently training in Seosan as part of the Futures team. His military training is scheduled to take place after the season, and he will start the season at Hanwha and continue the season with Sangmu from May 8th. From the 8th, he will also participate in the Future’s Spring Camp held in Kochi, Japan.
It is a situation where it is difficult to fully concentrate on preparing for the season because it is not possible to play full-time in the first team. However, Jung Min-gyu said, “It’s a little special situation, but baseball is my job. It doesn’t matter if he goes to the army during the season. I want to prepare more properly than last year,” he said. “Actually, I wanted to play for one more year and go to the army, but I think it’s good to be able to play baseball in Sangmu and finish military service quickly.”
Jeong Min-gyu, who played an active role in last year’s demonstration game with 10 RBIs in 14 games including 1 home run, took the opportunity to start first base for the opening game. However, on this day, he finished with no hits in 3 at-bats, including 2 strikeouts, and did not receive a first-team opportunity after 3 games in April and 6 games in May.
Jung Min-gyu said, “It was a good opportunity to make my name known, but I didn’t take it. He felt regretful, but at Futures, the coaches, coaches, and hyungs said a lot of good things. In particular, it was helpful that (Lee) Jinyoung-hyung told me that his head shakes when hitting. As long as he didn’t move his head as much as possible, the pitcher’s view didn’t shake.” He looked back, saying, “I don’t shrink mentally even if I make a mistake, and I can afford to watch the ground.”
Among the players nominated for the first round in 2021, there are also players who have established themselves in the first team, such as pitchers Lee Eui-ri (KIA) and Lee Seung-hyun (Samsung). Although the position is different, Jung Min-gyu, who has a great sense of responsibility as the first nominee, said, “I am in my third year now, and I have nothing more to show than other teams’ first nominations. Fans may be angry, but the person I am most angry with is myself. Later on, I will try to be more helpful to the team than other 1st designated players. I hope you will wait and support me a little longer.” After returning to Sangmu, I will become the RBI leader in the first team as soon as possible.