The Samsung Lions of professional baseball are the only one of the 10 clubs to set up their first-team and Futures team camps in the same area, and they are seeing synergistic effects. The Akama Ballpark in Okinawa, Japan, used by the first team, and the Ishikawa Stadium, the Futures camp, are only a 15-minute drive apart. Not only is the physical distance short, the path to opportunities has also become shorter.
Manager Park Jin-man moves between the two camps to directly check players' physical condition and game sense. Players who stand out at the Futures camp are immediately called up to the first-team camp to receive training or scrimmage opportunities. The structure opens not just simple experience for Futures players, but the immediate possibility of entering the first team.
The first beneficiaries of this system are infielder Kim Jae-sang and outfielder Ryu Seung-min. They were discharged from military service with Sangmu last December after completing their service obligations, and, recognized for the results they prepared at the Futures camp, are currently preparing for the season in the first-team camp.
Their growth at Sangmu was also clear. Kim Jae-sang last year played 89 games with a .344 batting average (305 at-bats, 105 hits), 5 home runs, 66 RBIs, 57 runs and 5 steals, raising the completeness of his hitting.
Ryu Seung-min hit .249 (233 at-bats, 58 hits), but proved his power with seven home runs. He was overshadowed by the team's sluggers such as Han Dong-hee (27 home runs), Lee Jae-won (26 home runs) and Jeon Ui-san (16 home runs), but he clearly demonstrated the ability to hit one big shot. Immediately after discharge he kept his game feel by playing for the Brisbane Bandits in the Australian Baseball League (ABL).
Kim Jae-sang and Ryu Seung-min clearly showed their presence in the first intrasquad game held at Akama Ballpark on the 17th. Kim Jae-sang, who started as the white team's No. 6 third baseman, showed his hitting touch with three hits in four at-bats, including a double, and three runs. Ryu Seung-min also left a strong impression with two hits in four at-bats, one RBI and two runs, hitting a solo homer to center off right-hander Lee Seung-hyun in the fifth inning.
Former manager Ryu Jung-il, who led Samsung during its four consecutive championships, used to emphasize, "When opportunity comes, you must make the most of it." There are cases where a single seized chance leads to becoming a core player, and cases where leaving a strong impression expands one's standing.
Kim Jae-sang and Ryu Seung-min, who were not originally on the first-team camp roster, made a definite impression with just one intrasquad game. The opportunity that began in the Futures camp reached the door of the first team. Now the remaining task is to open that door themselves.
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