Shim Jun-seok (19, Pittsburgh Pirates) boarded a plane to the United States with the American Dream in his arms.
Shim Jun-seok departed through Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 on the afternoon of the 24th.
On the 16th, Shim Jun-seok signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates of the Central Division of the Major League National League. According to local multiple media outlets, his down payment is known to be at the level of 750,000 dollars (about 900 million won), which fell short of expectations.
Shim Jun-seok, who threw the fastest ball in Korean high school baseball last year, chose to challenge the major leagues without applying for the 2023 KBO draft. Since his freshman year at Deoksu High School, Shim Jun-seok has already attracted the attention of major league scouts by throwing fastballs over 150 km.
Shim Jun-seok was recognized for his potential when he was ranked 10th (2nd pitcher) in the international prospect rankings on MLB.com, the official major league website, in September of last year. At the time, “Shim Jun-seok is a pitcher who uses fastballs with a maximum of 100 miles (161 km) and an average of 94 to 96 miles (151 to 154 km). He uses all the pitches he has, including the curve that falls from 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock,” said the local media. has received attention.
Shim Jun-seok will attend the initiation ceremony held at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA on the 26th local time.
The following is a Q&A with Shim Jun-seok, whom we met at Incheon International Airport.
- Impressions ahead of your departure from the US It
‘s so nice to be able to go to the store. I promised to go, but when I arrived at the airport, I was excited and nervous.
- After the announcement of the contract, local interest increased
. I received a lot of calls, but I did not feel any strain on my shoulders just because I received a lot of interest. I want to get rid of last year’s regrets by just working hard without being conceited. I did a lot of image training in my head so that the same situation as last year would not come out.
- The reason why you chose 카지노사이트
Pittsburgh is that Pittsburgh is such a good team. The club officials told me in detail how I should grow in the future. I was impressed with the Pittsburgh system and training method, and I felt that they took care of me a lot. I don’t know which league I’ll start in yet, but I think if I show well while training the team, I’ll start at a higher level.
- Did you prepare outside of baseball, such as studying English?
First of all, not getting hurt is the most important thing, so I devoted myself to sports. I think my English will improve a lot more than when I was in Korea if I go to the local area and communicate. I also studied English little by little. While doing a lot of image training, I thought a lot about how to do it in the future.
-Is there any advice given by your Korean seniors in the US?
I often keep in touch with my older brother Cho Won-bin (St. Louis Cardinals), who went to the US first. He asked me a lot of trivial things, such as America’s athletic style, mental management method, and life after training. I didn’t have any friends with the other seniors, so there was nothing like that. If I go and ask questions, I think they will tell you in detail.
-The contract fee has not been accurately announced, but the satisfaction level is not something the
club deliberately tried to hide. I don’t really think about it because the team did that. The down payment is satisfactory. In the eyes of others, it may be considered a very small amount, but that is not important. It’s money, you just have to work hard to get up and collect it.
-I
want to train quickly because the local weather and training system are good. The concern is that language communication can be a little uncomfortable. I want to go quickly and study English hard so that I can communicate well. I want to return to Korea with good results.
-It will be your first time leaving Korea for such a long time, but
it must be difficult to leave home. You won’t see many friends either. But that’s not important. I have work to do, so there is nothing to worry about. Rather, you can concentrate on training because no one is around. If I hadn’t had the confidence, I wouldn’t have taken on the challenge. I have the confidence that I can go up and work hard.
- The story I shared with my parents
gave me advice to go and not get sick and work as hard as possible to get good results. My father and mother both told me they believed in me. So I wonder if I can take on such a big challenge.
-I feel the local high expectations for me, but I
am so grateful that they look at me very well. When I go to camp, I will use 100% of what I can and show the maximum. Comparisons with Park Chan-ho sunbaenim are too much. I am still far from reaching it. I can only thank you for looking at me so highly.
- Please say something to domestic baseball fans who want Shim Jun-seok to succeed
. He is confident of doing well and confident of going up. That’s why I’m taking on a challenge, so I hope you look at it with a warm heart rather than a stinging gaze.