Right-handed pitcher Park Jun-yong (19, Suseong University) erased the pain of not being drafted two years ago. Coach Seong Jun-su of Sungkyunkwan University expressed his gratitude, saying, “It is a great joy for us. Jun-yong prepared exceptionally, but he moved well according to plan, so he was a good choice.”
Park Jun-yong was selected by the Samsung Lions in the second round, number 14 overall, in the 2024 KBO rookie draft held on the 14th. There are a total of 296 college graduates who participated in this draft, including 41 early draftees. Park Jun-yong’s name was called the second fastest among college graduates, following Jeong Hyun-soo (Song Won-dae, 13th overall pick in the second round, Lotte Giants). The head of Club A’s operations team, whom we met at the scene, commented, “Park Joon-young is the best pitcher in the college league. As expected, he was selected early in the rankings.”메이저사이트
Park Jun-yong appeared in 10 college league games this year and recorded an ERA of 1.70 with 4 wins and no losses. Last May, he left a strong impression with a 9-inning scoreless shutout in Gyeongseong and Daejeon. A starting pitcher who mixes fastballs in the upper 140 km range with a variety of throws, such as sliders, change-ups, and curves. His command is excellent and his physique (height 1m85cm, weight 92kg) is also solid. Although he was not approached by any team in the 2022 rookie draft, his skills improved significantly after entering college.
Coach Seongjun said, “Junyong is from Gumi and graduated from Gyeongbuk High School. It is even more meaningful that he was selected by his hometown team, Samsung.” He added, “(Because he takes care of his body), he does not drink soda or alcohol. He has a professional mindset and attitude to work hard.” He was full of praise. Park Jun-yong is the second player to produce a draft pick from Suseong University, following outfielder Hwang Eui-jun (KT Wiz) last year.
Suseong University’s baseball team is located in Manchon-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu. Founded in August 2019, the baseball team does not have a long history, but it is making progress little by little. Coach Seongjun, who has served as the head coach of the SK Wyverns and the second team manager of the Samsung Lions, will join the team starting in December 2019. He assists Gyeongbuk High School senior coach Seok-jin Seo and focuses on training pitchers. Park Jun-yong is one of the results. Coach Seong humbled himself by saying, “I don’t really want to talk about teachers and students. I’m just an advisor to the players I have a relationship with.”
It is his responsibility to take care of the players who failed in the draft and to foster a replacement for Park Jun-yong. Coach Seongjun said, “Supplying and supplying players is always a difficult problem. It is very difficult. Currently, it seems like baseball is everything, but when you look at life as a whole, it is not. The mindset that our players should have is to continue taking on various challenges (even if they are not selected in the draft). “I think it might be this,” he advised.