KKKKKKKK. U-18 youth baseball team pitcher Yook Seon-yeop (Jangchung High School) showed off his presence as a candidate for the first round of the upcoming rookie nomination. The Samsung Lions and NC Dinos, who hold the 4th and 5th overall picks, are expected to show greater interest in Yuk Seon-yeop, who is challenging for the top 5 picks.스포츠토토
Korea, participating in the 31st World Youth Baseball Championship held in Taiwan, won 3-0 against Australia in the third game of the preliminary round on September 4. Due to Taichung City’s stay-at-home ban implemented on the 3rd, after continuous consultation with the organizing committee, the game was approved to be played with only the players and essential operating personnel, with no spectator seats open, and the game was declared to start at 4:55 p.m.
On this day, Korea was unable to launch any significant offense until the bottom of the third inning, except for Lee Seung-min’s double in the bottom of the second inning. However, the opportunity arose thanks to Yuk Seon-yeop, who took the mound as a starter, and defended the mound with a strong pitching of 6.1 innings, allowing 5 hits, 8 strikeouts, 2 walks, and no runs.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Korea’s third batter, Yeo Dong-geon, reached base with a not out and succeeded in stealing base. Then, Park Ji-hwan’s walk, Lee Seung-min’s sacrifice bunt, and Jo Hyun-min’s intentional throw resulted in a chance to load the bases with one out and a runner on. Without missing this opportunity, 7th batter Lee Yulye hit a timely double down the right-field line, bringing all runners home and scoring 3 runs in one go.
While Yook Seon-yeop maintained a 3-run lead until one out in the 7th inning, Kim Taek-yeon, who took over the mound, ended the game by striking out both remaining batters. Korea, which has 2 wins and 1 loss in the preliminary round, will play the 4th game of the preliminary round against Mexico at 10 a.m. on the 5th (Korean time).
On this day, Yook Seon-yeop recorded two hits in the top of the first inning, but ended the inning with two strikeouts. Yook Seon-yeop, who achieved his first triple strike in the top of the second inning, faced a scoring crisis with two outs and third base after allowing a walk, a ground ball, and a wild pitch with one out in the top of the third inning. However, Yook Seon-yeop prevented the loss of runs by striking out the follow-up batter with a missed swing.
Sun-Yeop Yook allowed one base hit in the top of the 4th and 5th innings, but ended the inning without any major problems. Seon-Yeop Yook had a hit with two outs in the top of the sixth inning, but achieved a quality start by inducing the follow-up batter to hit. Sun-Yeop Yook hit a double with one out in the top of the 7th inning and passed the ball to Taek-Yeon Kim.
It was a day for Yook Seon-yeop, who clearly showed his value as a starting pitcher. Seon-Yeop Yook is a promising player aiming to be selected as a ‘Top 5’ candidate in the upcoming rookie draft. Following Hwang Jun-seo (Jangchung High School), Kim Taek-yeon (Incheon High School), and Jeon Mir (Gyeongbuk High School), Yuk Seon-yeop and Kim Hwi-geon are dreaming of entering the top five.
It is highly likely that the Samsung Lions and NC Dinos, who hold the 4th and 5th overall picks, watched Yook Seon-yeop’s pitching with more interest that day. In particular, Samsung is the team in most urgent need of mound reinforcement. As Jeon Mir, a local player, has recently seen a significant improvement in his potential evaluation, if not Jeon Mir, Samsung can choose a promising right-handed fireballer with excellent physique, such as Yook Seon-yeop or Kim Hwi-geon.
It is curious whether Yook Seon-yeop will be able to increase his value in the rookie draft to be held next week with another outstanding performance in his remaining appearances for the youth national team.