On the 11th, the 3rd E-Mart Cup National High School Baseball Championship (co-hosted by SSG Group and Korea Baseball Softball Association) finals were held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon.
Deoksu High School, representative of Seoul, took the championship, but there were many schools that showed an impact in each round. In particular, the schools that made it to the semifinals foretold blue this season, showing their power that would not be strange no matter who made it to the finals. Accordingly, this magazine, which covered the entire game from the first round to the final, selected players who stood out for each position through this tournament.안전놀이터
Best of Best: Gangneung High School all-rounder Cho Dae-hyun
If you were to pick one player who was the most outstanding throughout the entire tournament, regardless of position, it would be Gangneung High’s all-rounder Cho Dae-hyun. As the top star of this tournament, if the MVP was chosen through a press vote like in professional baseball, it would be impossible to know that Cho Dae-hyun would have been chosen. Cho Dae-hyun, who transferred to Gangneung High School during his freshman year at Jangchung High School, showed off his skills as a pitcher and batter to the fullest in this E-Mart Bae. The team also received a lot of attention as it finished runner-up, and as a pitcher, he threw a fast ball that reached 151km, surprising the surroundings. On days when he wasn’t pitching, he was a hitter, proving that his fundamentals were solid. There is no doubt that he is the best star of this E-Mart show, fitting the nickname ‘Jotani’.
Right-handed pitcher: Masan Yongma High pitcher Jang Hyeon-
seok Left-handed pitcher: Jangchung high school pitcher Hwang Jun-seo
Needless to say, the best left/right-handed pitchers this year also flew in the E-Mart Cup competition. Jang Hyun-seok took the mound in the quarterfinals, which was a critical moment, and put the team into the semifinals. At that time, the confrontation with Jeon Mir of Gyeongbuk High School became a big fire. As the scheduled quarterfinal match was postponed for a day due to rain, it was crucial that Jang Hyun-seok was given a chance. Although the team was caught by Deoksu High School at the threshold of the semifinals, the existence of Jang Hyun-seok, who dreams of a 160km speed limit, appealed enough. It is also a plus that he has a strong fighting spirit and does not like to lose.
Hwang Jun-seo, the left-hander ace of Jangchung, showed off his skills by picking up 3 wins in the E-Mart Cup competition alone. In particular, he achieved his dream of reaching the maximum speed of 150 km, which he so much wanted. As of right now, I don’t think there’s any dispute that he’s the best left-handed player this year. It is highly likely that he will be promoted to the youth national team for two consecutive years, and the coach of the Japanese youth national team, who experienced Hwang Jun-seo’s ball firsthand last year, admired him, saying, “There is no left-handed pitcher in Japan who throws like that.”
Catcher: Lee Yul-ye, catcher at Gangneung High School
The professional scouting team shook their heads when asked about their catcher power this year. Each school has a catcher who has the qualities of a good hitter, but he expressed doubts about whether he can grow into a good catcher. In the midst of that, there is a catcher who shines the most in E-Mart Bae. Lee Yul-ye, a sophomore, is the main character. Lee Yul-ye, who has been hitting hard as the team’s fifth hitter, has already been faithful to the role of bullpen catcher helping the youth team last year. Gangneung High School coach Choi Jae-ho also praised him, saying, “I’m not saying this because I’m a student. I don’t think there is a player like (Lee) Yul-ye among catchers this year.” Thanks to this, Lee Yul-ye received the best catcher award in this E-Mart Cup.
Infielders: Gunsan Sangil High School Kang Min-je, Deoksu High School Park Jun-soon, Gyeonggi Aviation High School Park Jeong-hyeon, Deoksu High School Ujeong-an
E-Mart Infielders who stood out most of the infielders produced the best results in each field. Kang Min-je, who mainly played as a third baseman at Gunsan Sangil High School, won the home run award by hitting two homers, and Park Jun-soon, a second baseman at Deoksu High School, took first place in the RBI ranking with 12 RBIs. In addition, Park Jeong-hyeon, who led the promotion of Gyeonggi Aviation High School, won the stolen base award with 6 stolen bases, and Woo Jeong-ahn, a sophomore at Deoksu High School, stood on the ground with the most impact.
Gunsan Commercial High School, which has repeatedly promoted in its first national competition since switching from Gunsan Commercial High School to general high school, introduced Kang Min-je. In particular, it is worth noting that he outperformed his competitors by recording two home runs. In the future, we can show a better image through the Golden Lion Competition. Park Joon-soon, an infielder at Deoksu High School, who mainly played as the third batter and swept runners, is also an infielder worth paying attention to. He is strong against chances, so the future is expected more. Gyeonggi Aviation High School’s Park Jeong-hyeon, who boasted quick feet while recording 6 steals in a short period of time, is also a promising prospect for tomorrow, and Woo Jeong-an, who has kept the Deoksu High lineup since last year as a freshman, is a utility man capable of defending shortstop. In particular, in the semifinal match against Masan Yongmago, he left a strong impression with his wedge home run shot.
Outfielders: Deoksu High School Baek Jun-seo, Busan High School Yeon Jun-won, Whimoon High School Lee Seung-min
Deoksu High School outfielder Baek Jun-seo, who shined as the MVP of the E-Mart Cup, literally showed off a “god-like sense of hitting” in this tournament. As a result, he won two gold medals including the best player of the tournament and the batting award. Realizing his determination to lead the team to the championship ahead of the semifinals, he emerged as one of the biggest players in the high school outfield this year.
He feels good at bat, but his outfield defense isn’t bad either. Above all, he has the advantage of not being nervous even on the big stage because he has experience of playing an active role as the number 4 hitter since last year. He is a promising prospect who has more expectations for tomorrow than today.
Whimungo outfielder Lee Seung-min, who is said to be better than his father Samsung coach Lee Byeong-gyu’s high school days, is attracting attention as a powerful tool player. He showed off his gun control by operating a home run gun on the E-Mart ship as well. His physical condition itself is better than that of his father, and he is a promising prospect who is expected to play an active role in the professional stage next season. Currently, among high school outfielders, there is a high possibility that he will be called up in the draft first.
Outfielder Yeon Jun-won, who led Busan High School to the quarterfinals at the E-Mart Cup, is an indispensable tool player in either ball, defense or state. He is also capable of two-hitting, so he knows how to throw a fast ball over 140km as a pitcher. He is not a mid-to-long distance hitter like Whimungo Lee Seung-min or Gunsan Sangil High School Kang Min-je, but he is definitely a spray hitter who hits the ball evenly.