20 years ago, Park Jae-yeop of Lotte, who accidentally seized a chance and became a 19.1 billion baseball tycoon, smells like Kang Min-ho
Jun 19, 2025
|
It was already 20 years ago. The Lotte Giants needed young resources to wear catcher masks after veteran Choi Ki-moon. Kang Min-ho, a former Pocheol Technical High School, was chosen in the third round of the 2004 rookie draft.
He played only three games in his rookie season. The opportunity came by accident. Choi Ki-moon's sluggishness and injuries overlapped. Yang Sang-moon (current Hanwha Eagles coach), who was at the helm of Lotte at the time, recognized Kang Min-ho's talent and began to give him a chance. In his second year, he played 104 games in the 2005 season.
He had punch power and good basic skills as a catcher, but he was clumsy in many ways. There was a lot of fan outcry. However, Yang's tenacity was also great. Kang Min-ho, who ate his experience under the support of the coach and in the shadow of a veteran senior named Choi Ki-moon, grew up well. Still playing baseball. He is the main catcher of the Samsung Lions at the age of 40. He will try to sign his fourth FA contract for the first time ever. It is expected to be possible. It's literally 'Baseball Chaebol'. He earned a total of 19.1 billion won from three FA contracts alone.
|
Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung chose high school graduate rookie Park Jae-yeop as the starting catcher on the day. He only played as a substitute in two games this season. However, Kim did not just give this young player a chance. Manager Kim is a former master catcher. He has a better eye for a catcher than anyone else. Only compliments came out of Kim's mouth. Coach Kim said "He did very well in the second division. And basically, he has very good things as a catcher. Hit, throw, and receive, and the basics are the best among the team catchers. In terms of defense, he evaluates it the most. It's just a lack of experience." Lotte has Yoo Gang-nam with '8 billion ransom'. It was also interpreted as meaning that he has better qualities as a catcher than Yoo Kang-nam.
|
But what's wrong with this. The youngest had a big accident. He hit a decisive three-run home run in the second inning to destroy Um Sang-baek. As a catcher, he showed stable performance throughout nine innings and led the team to a 6-3 victory. I wonder if they gave all the autographs off the bench. Park Jae-yeop said "I did the lead. Only in the middle of the game did the signings come out a few times", he explained.
His good physique made him feel his power, and he seemed to have solid basic skills as a catcher such as blocking and catching. There was something that director Kim didn't tell me. His feet were pretty fast, too. He was very agile when he saw him catch a foul fly. His personality was sad and he was confident, saying, `It was so much fun to play as a catcher in 9 innings.' It feels like watching Kang Min-ho 20 years ago.
Kang Min-ho also did not miss the chance that came by chance. Lotte is also in a situation where it is difficult to see that there is a clear main catcher. Park Jae-yeop, who has potential in coach Kim's style, may be given a chance. Did Lotte really have a 2nd Kang Min-ho. From Busan High School 'Lotlin 'Park Jae-yeop said "My childhood role model was Kang Min-ho, of course, but now he's gone to Samsung," he said with a big smile.
|
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
