Samsung Manager Park Jin-man, “MacKinnon is a Key Player in the Field… Less Worries About the Bullpen”
“MacKinnon at third base and Oh Jae-il at first base are ideal… Kim Seong-yoon is a starting center fielder candidate.”
Samsung Lions coach Park Jin-man (47) will begin spring camp in 2024 without worrying about the bullpen.
Now is the time to make concrete plans for operating the 2024 season.
Coach Park Jin-man met with reporters at Incheon International Airport on the 30th, when the Samsung professional baseball team departed for Okinawa Prefecture, Japan for spring camp, and recalled, “We started spring camp around this time last year with concerns about the bullpen,” and added, “The team is strengthening the bullpen.
“I gave it to them. 파워볼
Now I can pay more attention to other areas,” he said.
In the off-season, Samsung recruited last year’s KT Wiz closer Kim Jae-yoon and Kiwoom Heroes closer Lim Chang-min.
Samsung closer Oh Seung-hwan signed a contract to remain.
Kim Jae-yoon (32 saves), ranked 2nd in saves in 2023, Seung-hwan Oh (30 saves), and Chang-min Lim (26 saves), 6th, will guard the Samsung bullpen in the 2024 season.
Last year, Samsung’s bullpen ranked last among the 10 clubs with an ERA of 5.16.
Even amidst repeated failures, young pitchers gained experience working as a ‘full-time bullpen’.
Coach Park Jin-man analyzed, “The existing bullpen will definitely improve this year.
With the addition of Kim Jae-yoon and Lim Chang-min, bullpen concerns have been greatly reduced.”
There are many variables in the fielding lineup.
Jose Pirella, who played as an outfielder or designated hitter, left the team, and David McKinnon wore a Samsung uniform.
MacKinnon is an infielder who played for the Seibu Lions of the Japanese professional baseball team last year.
Coach Park said, “MacKinnon is the key player on the field side in the 2024 season,” and “It would be ideal for us for MacKinnon to play third base.
Jae-il Oh was poor last year, but he is working hard this year.
Jae-il Oh is in charge of first base.
“If MacKinnon takes over as third baseman, the batting lineup will have some breathing room,” he explained.
The absence of shortstop Lee Jae-hyun, who had shoulder surgery last October, is expected to be filled by competition between Kim Young-woong and Kang Han-wool.
Ryu Ji-hyuk, who plays all infield positions, is expected to spend more time as a second baseman.
The basic outfield structure is likely to consist of left fielder Koo Ja-wook, center fielder Kim Seong-yoon, and right fielder Kim Hyun-jun.
With the departure of left fielder Pirella, Kim Seong-yoon, who played very well in the second half of last year, emerged as the ‘No. 1 starting center fielder.’
‘Former starting center fielder’ Kim Hyun-jun moves to right field, and right fielder Koo Ja-wook moves to left field to reduce the ‘defensive burden.’
Here, ‘Catfish’ Kim Jae-hyuk, who will instill a sense of competition in the outfield, has also appeared.
Kim Jae-hyuk joined Samsung in 2022, played only 15 games in the first team, and then applied to the Armed Forces Athletic Corps (Sangmu), where he spent two seasons.
Coach Park said, “Kim Jae-hyuk is a player I have watched since he joined the team.
His skills have improved in Sangmu,” and he expected, “He will bring about a healthy sense of competition in the outfield and help with physical strength management in the outfield.”
Although ‘priorities’ have been set, Coach Park plans to give opportunities to players who have overcome ‘fierce internal competition’ at any time.
Samsung has set up first and second team camps in Okinawa, so Coach Park can frequently visit the Futures (second team) camp to check out promising players.
Coach Park said, “Our club’s advantage is that we have established first and second team camps in close proximity,” and added, “We will visit the Futures Camp to check the skills of the new players.”
Oh Seung-hwan, the team’s most senior member, also prepares his body according to ‘his plan’ in the Future Team at the beginning of the camp.
Coach Park said, “A player of Oh Seung-hwan’s caliber has his own training plan.
He will prepare his body at the Futures Camp and then join the first team camp at the end of February when the evaluation match is held to check his sense of play in practice.”
Samsung ranked 8th in the 2023 season, the first year of coach Jin-man Park’s appointment.
The club strengthened its bullpen, which was its biggest weakness last year, and Manager Park established a plan for growth with two-hitters.
First of all, Samsung starts spring camp with more hopeful elements than last year.