Samsung Lions rookie left-handed pitcher Bae Chan-seung (19) has thrown down the gauntlet for the Rookie of the Year award this season.
Bae Chan-seung returned to Korea on the 5th through Incheon International Airport after completing the second spring camp training held in Okinawa, Japan. In an interview after returning, he said, "I think the best thing was finishing without getting hurt. I came back in good shape," reflecting on his spring camp experience.
Rated highly as someone who will contribute to the team right away this year, Bae Chan-seung was drafted in the first round (3rd overall) of the 2025 Rookie Draft and signed with Samsung. In particular, he left a strong impression during practice games at the Okinawa camp, throwing fast pitches that reached speeds of up to 152 kilometers per hour.
When asked how many points he would give himself for the spring camp results, Bae Chan-seung replied, "I don’t think there’s a perfect score. I’d probably give myself 70 to 80 points. I’m satisfied that I made good physical improvements but feel that I need to increase my strike percentage." He added, "I think spring exhibition games will be more nerve-wracking and tense than practice games. Still, I plan to enjoy pitching as much as I can."
Showing somewhat of a struggle against right-handed batters compared to left-handers, Bae Chan-seung said, "I don’t feel that right-handed and left-handed batters are particularly different," yet mentioned, "I think I threw a few too many balls to right-handed batters. I believe if I throw more strikes, I can have a good matchup."
Although he has only pitched in practice games so far, Bae Chan-seung is already generating expectations as a member of the winning team. He stated, "I haven’t heard anything specific about my position yet. But since they are talking about the winning team, I feel excited and have high hopes. In fact, I never imagined I would receive this much attention. I think I have to live up to the expectations as I gain so much attention."
Although he is a high school graduate rookie, Bae Chan-seung has built a solid physique comparable to seasoned players. He explained, "I think I achieved good velocity because I built my body well. I worked hard on weight training since high school, which led to my current physique. My body condition is good now, so I plan to focus on maintaining it. I believe if I didn’t have strength, I wouldn’t have reached 152 kilometers per hour. After building up some strength, I tried to improve flexibility and other aspects." He then laughed and added, "I can’t lift 500 in the three lifts yet."
Bae Chan-seung confidently stated his goals for this year as being part of the winning team and winning Rookie of the Year. This year, starting with the overall top rookie Jeong Hyun-woo (Kiwoom), who was selected first overall, and including Jeong Woo-ju (Hanwha, 2nd overall), and Kim Young-woo (LG, 10th overall), many good rookie players are drawing significant attention since the spring camp period. Bae Chan-seung remarked, "I want to achieve more than 10 holds as part of the winning team," and expressed hope for a fierce Rookie of the Year race this season, saying, "There are many talented friends, and until I face them, I won’t know, but I believe we can have good competition."
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