‘AG Gold Medal’ Receives Military Service Benefits and Challenges ML, Jang Hyun-seok’s ‘Promise’
Jang Hyun-seok, who won the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games, made his ‘golden return’ through Incheon International Airport on the 8th. The top prospect who signed a contract with the LA Dodgers of the Major League saw, felt, and learned a lot through this tournament.Jang Hyun-seok has been called the ‘biggest fish’ in the 2024 KBO rookie draft. His fast ball in the mid to late 150km range and his ability to manage the game unbelievably for a high school student immediately caught the eye of scouts from the KBO League and the Major League. If Jang Hyun-seok had participated in the KBO rookie draft, he would have been selected as the first overall pick by the Hanwha Eagles, but he decided to pursue his dream on the American stage.The LA Dodgers, who signed Jang Hyun-seok to an international amateur contract, were ‘sincere’. In Major League Baseball, each club has a set amount of money that can be used when signing a contract with an international amateur player, but the Dodgers had used up all of this amount. However, the Dodgers secured a ‘bonus pool’ in return for trading two prospects, and showed sincerity in investing it in Jang Hyun-seok.Jang Hyun-seok, who received attention from the KBO League and the Major League, was the 'only' amateur player to be named to the Hangzhou Asian Games national team list due to his outstanding performance on the high school stage, and took the mound as a relief pitcher in a practice game against Sangmu Phoenix held ahead of his departure. He impressed coach Ryu Joong-il with a solid pitch based on a fast ball with a maximum speed of 154 km.Coach Ryu Joong-il initially expressed his intention to give Jang Hyun-seok a starting opportunity against Hong Kong or Thailand. Unfortunately, he did not lead to a starting pitch, but he returned to the mound twice as a bullpen pitcher and gained valuable experience. Jang Hyun-seok had the opportunity to take the mound in the top of the 7th inning with a 3-0 lead against Hong Kong. He was anxious, but the results were perfect.From the start of the inning, Jang Hyun-seok gave up a hit ball to the lead batter. However, he struck out the follow-up batter and turned the next batter into a foul fly by the third baseman, quickly accumulating an out count. However, what was disappointing was that after allowing a runner to steal, he caused a crisis with 2 outs and 3rd base due to a wild pitch. However, he ended the inning by striking out the last batter.His second appearance was against China in the Super Round. At that time, Jang Hyun-seok gave up one point. Jang Hyun-seok took the mound in the bottom of the 8th inning with the lead widening to 8-0, and was hit by the leadoff batter from the start of the inning. However, Jang Hyun-seok, who did not lose his composure, took a breather by grounding follow-up hitter Doonan to second base and Liang Fei to third base. They allowed it and gave up one point.Still, there were no additional goals conceded. Jang Hyun-seok ended the inning by striking out a 5-pitch match with China's '3rd hitter' Li Ning with 2 outs and runners on 3rd base, and recorded an ERA of 4.50 in 2 games (2 innings) of this tournament. And after his older brothers performed well in the finals, he experienced the joy of receiving a gold medal and military service benefits.Jang Hyun-seok seemed to have felt a lot from this competition. Jang Hyun-seok, whom we met at Incheon Airport on the 8th, said, "I felt a lot of things. After seeing a lot of the balls of professional seniors, I felt that an amateur's ball is just an amateur's ball. After seeing my older brothers warming up or doing weight training, I realized that the professional world is different. “I felt that. I think little by little I was starting to think about what I should do when I go to the United States.”The competition was a place where I felt and learned a lot and the results were good. How did it feel to win a gold medal? He said, "This is my first time with the national team in my life. I am honored and happy to win a gold medal on a big stage. I was very nervous until the last moment, but it ended very well. I was nervous and I wanted to do well, but I was nervous." “I’m glad that what I did led to good results,” he said with a smile.Since Jang Hyun-seok chose to go to the United States rather than the KBO league, it may not be easy for him to participate in international competitions in the future. That's why this competition was even more important to him. He said, "For me, this national team was a really good relationship and a proud moment. My brothers often said, 'It's great that you were selected as an amateur, but you performed well and persevered well.'" He added, "'I worked harder and won “They even cheered me on, saying, ‘Go up to the big leagues. Do really well in America.’”Jang Hyun-seok made one promise here. Even if you play baseball in the United States, if the national anthem is sung, you will always respond to that call. Jang Hyun-seok said, "I want to go to international competitions such as the WBC (World Baseball Classic) and Premier12 and achieve good results with my brothers and seniors. Of course, I want to go to international competitions. I can't help but feel proud of being a player for the Korean national team. “If you just call me, I will do my best to respond,” he emphasized.Jang Hyun-suk plans to spend time with his acquaintances for the time being and prepare to leave for the United States. He said, "No schedule has been released yet. First of all, I want to meet and greet elementary and middle school teachers and spend time with my friends. I will also contact coach Lee Ho-jun," and "I will aim to go to the big league as soon as possible." “He said emphatically.Jang Hyun-seok clearly resolved the issue of military service, which could be the biggest obstacle when entering the American stage. Now all that remains is to achieve success with good results in the United States. It remains to be seen whether Jang Hyun-seok can become a major leaguer, following in the footsteps of 'Korean Express' Park Chan-ho and 'Korean Monster' Ryu Hyun-jin. 토토사이트랭크
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