KT’s Ahn Hyeon-min, a ‘legendary former chef’ who dreams, says, “You have to dream big.”
He joined the team in 2022, served in the front line as a cook, and was discharged early this year.
KT coach Lee Kang-cheol said, “I’ll come back as a Terminator… I’ll use it as long as I can play defense.”
“This is a new mercenary (foreign player) we brought in.
If he hits, we send him to the stands and out of the stadium.” 카지노
When a stocky player sent a practice batting ball over the fence with a powerful swing, professional baseball KT Wiz coach Lee Kang-cheol was excited, like a parent bragging about his child.
The player who received praise from coach Lee was outfielder Ahn Hyun-min, who is in his third year with the team. Coach Lee, who is 20 years old, said ahead of the Kiwoom Heroes match scheduled to be held at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 26th, “I went to the military due to a stomachache and came back with the size of a terminator.
He continued his praise by saying, “The power is so good that the batting speed exceeds 170 km per hour.”
Ahn Hyun-min is a player who graduated from Masan High School and joined KT as a 2nd 4th round pick in 2022.
He initially joined as a catcher, but his offensive ability To maximize his chances, he immediately switched to the outfield.
After serving only the first season after joining the team, he served as a cook in the 21st Division in Yanggu, Gangwon-do.
He was discharged from the military in February of this year and joined the team.
In this season’s Futures (2nd team) league, he showed potential with a batting average of 0.290 (9 hits in 31 at-bats), 1 home run, and 9 RBIs in 11 games, establishing himself as the ‘future of KT’s batting lineup.’
He has 4 of his 9 hits (1 double, 2 triples, and 1 home run), and he is a player with quick feet who was called a ‘catcher who steals bases’ during his high school days.
Ahn Hyun-min had the opportunity to train and watch games together at Suwon KT Wiz Park from the 24th to the 26th under the KT club’s ‘Victory Project’, which gives second-team prospects a chance to tour the first-team.
Here, he succeeded in getting manager Lee’s attention by producing a series of monstrous practice batting hits.
Manager Lee said, “Our team now needs to replace the generation of players who can hit long balls.
I look forward to a catcher-turned-outfielder like Choi Hyung-woo (KIA Tigers) and Kim Jae-hwan (Doosan Bears).”
It didn’t stop there, and he even called Ahn Hyun-min, who had returned to the dugout after training, and encouraged him, saying, “I’ll use you as long as you can play defense, so work hard.”
Ahn Hyun-min said, “I think I have an advantage compared to other players because the coach knows me and knows what kind of player I am.
In the end, I have to play defense.
It’s not something I can do right away, so I have to step up step by step.
“If you do it one by one, the director will call you when the time is right,” he said gratefully.
Ahn Hyun-min, who weighed 91kg when he joined the military, gained 10kg while in the military.
It is not flesh that makes the body dull, but muscle that becomes the source of strength.
Ahn Hyun-min said, “I gained 8 kg during the training camp alone. When
I went to my unit, I only gained 2 kg. I became like this because I exercised and worked hard. Even though
I was a cook, I worked in a unit that didn’t have that many people, so I wasn’t really pressed for time.” He said.
Currently, Ahn Hyun-min is practicing as a left and right corner outfielder in the Futures League.
Since the first team has a built-in center fielder named Bae Jeong-dae, it is better for him to be prepared as a left or right fielder due to team circumstances.
Internally, the team evaluates Ahn Hyun-min as “he hits with a strong swing and has excellent batting speed and distance.”
Some say that Hong Seong-heun (former Doosan Bears), another catcher-turned-slugger, comes to mind because of his lowered upper body batting posture.
Ahn Hyun-min said, “Offense is my best strength, and I think hitting well and running well should be my strength.
I have to show that kind of performance in the first team to survive.”
“There’s no difficulty in doing it, but it’s still difficult to get the timing right,” he said.
As a player armed with young spirit, his goals are big and high.
In response to Manager Lee’s mention of ‘catcher-turned-long hitters’ who represent the league, such as Choi Hyung-woo and Kim Jae-hwan, Ahn Hyun-min said, “You have to dream big. I am confident.”
The player used as an example is Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta Braves), who became the first American professional baseball player to join the Major League Baseball (MLB) club last season with 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases.
Ahn Hyun-min introduced, “Compared to Korea, the United States has a tendency to be aggressive.
I have that kind of taste, so I took Acuña as my role model.”