Участник:"Hugeot hopeful"
For Samsung Lions outfielder Yoon Jung-bin, the 2023 season was a season where opportunities, possibilities, and regrets coexisted. It is attracting attention as a new mainstay for the Lions, with his first hit in the first division in five years since his debut and his first home run in his debut when the team needed it.
In an interview with MHN Sports on the evening of the 7th, Yoon Jung-bin said, "I will make sure to take the position of the main outfielder this season and be called the home run hitter of Shim Sung."
Yoon Jung-bin came into the batter's box in the ninth inning of the away game against the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on May 23 last year with no one out and Samsung trailing 5-7, hitting Doosan Hong Gun-hee's four-seam fastball to right field. This was Yoon Jung-bin's first hit since his professional debut, expanding his scope, and making a valuable hit in five years since his debut in 2018.
"It feels like watching Lee Seung-yeop play when he was a player. When he was an active pro, Lee Seung-yeop cut his hair a lot," said Jeong Min-cheol, a commentator who was in charge of broadcasting Yoon's first hit. "Yoon Jung-bin also took a long time to get his first hit, but he has the same persistence as Lee." "I can see Lee Seung-yeop. He seems to be a good hitter like Lee Seung-yeop."
After reporting his first hit, Yoon began to receive consistent opportunities to play. Then, he hit his first homerun in Daejeon against the Hanwha Eagles on June 3. Yoon, who came to bat instead of Oh Jae-il in the seventh inning with two outs and no runners, when Samsung was losing 1-2, hit a tying solo arch off Hanwha starter Felix Peña's fourth fastball over the middle fence. With this single shot from Yoon, Samsung brought the game back to square one, scoring four runs in the eighth inning and adding one run in the ninth inning to win 7-2. It was the moment when Yoon's first homerun since his debut gave Samsung a win.
Since then, however, bad news has occurred. He suddenly complained of pain in the foot during defense against the Lotte Giants in Daegu on June 9, and the first team was eliminated after the examination revealed inflammation in the tendon in the foot. As Yoon Jung-bin started to play in the first team stage, which he had been waiting for, his injury was all the more regrettable.
"The 2023 season is of great significance as it was the season when I had my first hit and my first home run. Personally, however, I am deeply disappointed. I still feel sorry that I got injured when I was in good condition," Yoon said. "The score I can give to myself is 20 points."
For Yoon, his injury last season still left a big lingering impression on him. For this reason, he is not only doing individual training during the off-season, but also digesting injury prevention programs.
"We are also preparing hard for technical training including batting practice. However, the most important thing during the off-season is to build a body that does not get hurt. We are continuing to increase muscle mobility to reduce the risk of minor injuries," Yoon said.
"I don't want to repeat the regret I felt last season again. I really want to do well this year. To do that, the first thing is to make a body that doesn't get hurt," he stressed.
Currently, the absence of long hitters is what makes the Lions regrettable. In terms of team performance in the last season, the team ranked seventh in slugging percentage (0.368), eighth in homers (88), and seventh in OPS (0.702). If Samsung is to make a successful comeback this season, it is essential to resolve the "absence of long hitters."
Yoon Jung-bin is also drawing attention as a card that can produce long-range shots for Samsung. He is also well aware of this. "My team selected me in the draft because of my strength. I will show my best this season," he said, vowing to become a player like Kyle Schwarber of the MLB Philadelphia Phillies.
Kyle Schwarber showed off his tremendous strength with 47 homers and a slugging percentage of 0.474 with 104 RBIs and a batting average of 0.197 lower in the last season. Yoon is determined not to be a player who produces short hits, but to be a player who always hits long balls like Schwarber.
Yoon Jung-bin then said, "My specific season goal is to play in more than 100 games and score 20 home runs," and expressed his ambition, saying, "I will be reborn as a player who can win the Golden Glove like (former) Ja-wook and whose name can be mentioned as a candidate."
Meanwhile, Samsung will hold spring camp in Okinawa this season, just like in previous years. Yoon Jung-bin, along with Koo Ja-wook and Kim Jae-sung, will arrive in Okinawa earlier than expected on June 26 and start preparations for the upcoming season.