Doosan Bears rookie catcher Yoon Jun-ho rubbed shoulders with some of the top prospects in the Futures League in his first year as a professional. He’s looking to make his first-team debut in the second half of the season with a lighter heart after making some good memories in his hometown of Busan.
Yoon played for the Northern All-Stars in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League Futures All-Star Game at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on Thursday.
Before the game, Yoon Jun-ho said, “It felt good to be here since my first year. I was even happier to see the All-Star Game in my hometown of Busan,” he said. “There were a lot of fans and I was excited to see my friends who live in Busan after a long time.”
Yoon was selected by Doosan with the 49th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2023 KBO Draft. While he was in his senior year at Dong-A University, he appeared on JTBC’s baseball program “Strongest Baseball” last year, making him known to baseball fans as an amateur, and this year he was honored to play in the Futures League All-Star Game as a professional.
Although he hasn’t been called up to the first team yet this year, he has gained a lot of experience in the Futures League. In 42 games, he batted .263 (25-for-95) with two home runs, 14 RBIs, and two doubles for a .661 OPS.
He fell into a hitting slump in mid-June as his stamina waned, but it was a rite of passage for any rookie. Yoon is not intimidated and is preparing for the second half of the season.
“Physically, it was hard at first, but now I’ve gotten used to it,” he said. “I’ll do my best to show good form in the second half of the season so that I can somehow get a chance to make the first team.”
“I also trained a lot with the coaches in Icheon to improve my technical skills, especially focusing on catcher basics and working out with the mindset of starting from scratch,” he said. “Until May, my batting was so good that I thought to myself, ‘Why is it working so well?’ But as the weather got hotter, my pace dropped a lot. I definitely realized the importance of physical fitness.”토토사이트
The first team games are also closely monitored. He runs simulations on himself, watching the play of Korea’s best catcher, Yang Ji-soo, and the pitcher’s lead.
“When I watched Yang Ji-san play as a catcher, I made a lot of comparisons to see what I would do,” Yoon said. “In June, when Doosan was not doing well, I watched Yang Ji-san play through tough situations and realized that this is how he leads. I think I will get my chance one day, and I will prepare as well as I can,” he added.