Spring camp is a place to prepare for the new season’s power plan. It is also a stage to test new faces to fill gaps. This year, there are clubs that left the camp with five rookie players who took their first steps in the professional league, and another club started training without rookies.
As of the 2nd, 10 KBO league teams started training overseas for the first time in three years. The clubs that took the most new players were KT and SSG, with five each. At KT, a team of 52 players left for Arizona, USA, rookie pitchers Kim Jeong-woon and Kim Gun-woong, infielders Son Min-seok and Ryu Hyun-in, and outfielder Jung Joon-young were named on the roster. At SSG, which set up a camp in Florida, USA, pitchers Roun Lee and Youngjin Song, infielders Minjun Kim and Gunwoong Kim, and outfielder Jeongmin Kim accompanied them. Although Kim Gun-woong did not make it to the original list, he got an opportunity as senior pitcher Noh Kyung-eun delayed his departure due to health problems.
In particular, SSG significantly increased the number of new players accompanying the camp compared to previous years. The only rookie who experienced the 1st team spring camp held in Jeju last year was pitcher Yoon Tae-hyun, who joined in the middle of training. SSG coach Kim Won-hyung said, “Rookie players came to join the club because I strongly appealed to them.” said.
After KT and SSG, the team with the most rookies is Kiwoom. Three rookies, Kim Kun-hee, catcher Kim Dong-heon, and outfielder Song Jae-seon, who can double as pitchers, will improve their skills in Arizona. In Hanwha, Kim Seo-hyun and infielder Moon Hyun-bin, who are highly anticipated as the first overall pitcher in the 2023 rookie draft, headed to Arizona. On the 29th of last month, the day of departure, the previous year’s special rookie pitcher Moon Dong-ju and Kim Seo-hyun’s ‘two-shot’ drew attention. 온라인바카라 Lotte began training with rookie infielder Kim Min-seok and pitcher Lee Tae-yeon in Guam.
In the KIA spring camp held in Arizona, pitcher Yoon Young-cheol is the only rookie. Pitcher Park Myung-geun was called to LG’s Arizona camp, and catcher Yoon Jun-ho was called to Doosan’s Australia camp.
Samsung, where both the 1st and 2nd teams camp in Okinawa, Japan, did not include rookies in the 1st team camp. Instead, Samsung coach Park Jin-man plans to go back and forth between the 1st and 2nd teams to check the players. Standout prospects can get first-team training opportunities.