Recently, Korean baseball has been flooded with fastball-throwing prospects.
Kim Seo-hyun, who joined the professional baseball Hanwha Eagles with the first overall pick in the 2023 rookie draft, and Shim Jun-seok, who signed a contract with the American professional baseball Pittsburgh Pirates, are excited by baseball fans armed with fastballs at 150 km/h.
NC Dinos rookie pitcher Shin Young-woo (18) is also expected to throw a 150 km/h fastball.
Shin Young-woo, who joined the NC with the 4th overall in the 1st round of the rookie draft last year, is also considered a candidate for the NC selection for the new season.
He joined the 1st team spring camp in Tucson, Arizona, USA and is competing with seniors.
Shin Young-woo’s greatest strength is his attitude toward baseball.
On the 18th (Korean time), after finishing the spring camp training held at the High Corbett Field in Tucson, Arizona, USA, he met with reporters and expressed his extraordinary affection and mindset for baseball.
It was in the first year of Centum Middle School that Shin Young-woo took his first step as an elite baseball player.
Professional players usually start exercising in earnest in the lower grades of elementary school. Shin Young-woo’s departure is quite late.
There was a reason. Shin Young-woo said, “When he was in the fourth grade of elementary school, he wanted to join the baseball team, but his parents opposed it.”
His father, who works in automobile design, and his mother, a teacher, hoped that Shin Young-woo would focus on his studies. Shin Young-woo’s grades in elementary school were also not bad.
However, Shin Young-woo said he wanted to play baseball.
He said, “I watched 스포츠토토the 2015 Premier 12 Korea-Japan semifinal with my friends in my neighborhood,” and “I firmly embraced my dream of becoming a baseball player after watching the national team’s miraculous come-from-behind game.”
At that time, the Korean national team was blocked by Ohtani Shohei (currently Los Angeles Angels) and trailed 0-3 until the 8th inning, then scored 4 runs in the last attack in the top of the 9th inning and won a thrilling 4-3 come-from-behind victory.
Shin Young-woo, who fell in love with the charm of baseball, gathered his friends from his neighborhood and made an amateur baseball team.
He said, “As the size of the neighborhood baseball team grew, it became a baseball club, and an elementary school physical education teacher took over the supervision. It was like an after-school class.”
The baseball team led by Shin Young-woo also won the softball club competition in softball baseball. It happened when he was in the 6th grade of elementary school.
Youngwoo Shin persuaded his parents with the championship medal.
Did they say that genius cannot beat those who work hard, and those who work hard cannot beat those who enjoy? Shin Young-woo grew up quickly.
After going to Gyeongnam High School, a prestigious baseball school, Shin Young-woo became a national player as a team ace, and finally realized his dream of becoming a professional player.
He said, “After being called in the rookie draft, his parents encouraged him saying ‘I worked hard'” and “I was happy to be recognized by my parents.”
Shin Young-woo plans to enjoy his professional life to the fullest.
He said, “I want to enjoy my career as a player without thinking too quickly.”