Lotte proposed the trade first. However, the first to smile was Doosan.

The Doosan Bears announced on the 4th that they would return home through Incheon International Airport after finishing a 36-day spring camp on the 3rd.

Doosan improved their condition through technical and tactical training, weight training, and a total of seven actual games, including four matches in the Guchun competition (two wins, two losses) during the first camp in Sydney, Australia, which started on January 27.

Doosan's manager Lee Seung-yeop noted, "We were able to carry out most of the planned training and actual games without any variables due to rain. All players, coaching staff, and employees worked hard. We will prepare well to show 100% of ourselves from the opening game."

Manager Lee Seung-yeop and the coaching staff selected 'trade acquisition' Kim Min-seok as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) among the spring camp position players. Kim Min-seok, who moved from Lotte to Doosan, made a splash with a batting average of .375 (6 hits in 16 at-bats), 4 RBIs, and 2 runs in a total of 7 games. In particular, in the Guchun competition match against his former team Lotte on March 2, he played as the center fielder, achieving 3 hits in 5 at-bats and contributing to the team's 7-5 victory.

Doosan agreed to a blockbuster 2-for-3 trade last November, sending rookie of the year winner Jeong Cheol-won and utility infielder Jeon Min-jae to Lotte in exchange for outfielder Kim Min-seok, catcher Chu Jae-hyeon, and pitcher Choi Woo-in. The team hopes that Kim Min-seok, who was once called the second Lee Jung-hoo during high school, will become the second Jeong Soo-bin after donning the Bears uniform.

Kim Min-seok is a top outfield prospect who was selected by Lotte in the first round with the 3rd overall pick in the 2023 rookie draft. In his debut season, he proved his competitiveness in the first team with a batting average of .255, 102 hits, 3 home runs, 39 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases over 129 games, and he was selected as one of the KBO All-Star Best 12, making him the 4th high school rookie ever. Kim Min-seok achieved 100 hits in his debut season, marking him as the 8th high school rookie in KBO league history to do so.

Last year, under manager Kim Tae-hyung, he fell behind in the competition for a starting position, recording only 41 games with a batting average of .211, 6 RBIs, and 14 runs. Suffering from a second-year jinx, he mostly spent time at Sangdong, Lotte's second team base camp. This year, he sweated hard at the Doosan camp aiming for 'AGAIN 2023', showcasing the most impressive play across both spring camps and earning the honorary title of MVP.

Kim Min-seok expressed, "I didn't expect it at all and thought about whether there is another player with a similar name to mine," and noted, "Being chosen as camp MVP seems to be a great motivation. I will continue the current momentum into the exhibition games."

Manager Lee Seung-yeop also named Chu Jae-hyeon, who came to Seoul with Kim Min-seok, as the MVP of the first camp in Sydney. Chu Jae-hyeon demonstrated a solid training attitude, batting .500 (3 hits in 6 at-bats), with 1 home run, 2 RBIs, and 2 runs in 3 practice games. A highlight of his performance was hitting a game-winning home run in the second practice game, carrying Lee Seung-yeop's number '36' from his playing days. Manager Lee praised, "Chu Jae-hyeon showed the best and most remarkable performance in the first camp."

Although the blockbuster trade was initially proposed by Lotte, Doosan was the first to smile during the spring camp. The traded players both won MVP titles directly selected by manager Lee Seung-yeop, further enhancing the season's prospects.

Doosan will begin its final preparations with an exhibition game against the Hanwha Eagles at Cheongju Stadium on the 8th.

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