After strenuous efforts, Son Yong-jun (LG Twins) achieved his dream of bulking up and stood out as the MVP of the Futures All-Star Game, being properly rewarded for the sweat he shed in the second team.
On the 11th, Son Yong-jun played as the starting shortstop for the North League All-Star team at the 2025 KBO Futures All-Star Game held at Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon, recording 2 hits, 1 stolen base, and 1 run in 4 at-bats, and earned the honor of MVP.
After gaining experience with a strikeout looking in the bottom of the first inning, Son Yong-jun hit a single to left field at first base with no outs in the bottom of the third inning while trailing 0-1. He then stole second base and scored on Choi Yoon-seok's two-run single to left field. Later, in the bottom of the fourth inning, he added another hit to left field with one out and became the only player among the North League players to achieve a multi-hit game.
After the game, Son Yong-jun stated, "I just prepared as I usually do and did as prepared, and good results came out. It was a good game. I noticed that more fans came than I expected, but I treated it the same as a second team game,” and added, “I was just thinking about MVP and the top hitter award, but I didn't really expect to receive it. I believe that the combination of hits and making a double play defensively earned me extra points."
Son Yong-jun received a prize of 2 million won along with Medicube cosmetic products for the MVP award. When asked about plans for the prize money, he said, "Before coming here, I mentioned through the team’s YouTube that I plan to give it all to my parents. I haven't thought about what to do with the cosmetics yet," revealing his strong filial piety.
Son Yong-jun is a promising infielder in his second year, who graduated from Gimhae High School and Dongwon University and was selected in the 3rd round, 28th overall, in the 2024 rookie draft by LG. After a year of training, he finally received a call from manager Youm Kyoung-youb this year and slightly tasted the first team in 4 games with a batting average of .200 (2 hits in 10 at-bats). In the Futures League, he was excelling with a batting average of .343 in 53 games, hitting 2 home runs and driving in 20 runs with a slugging percentage of .466 and an on-base percentage of .430, and successfully made his name known in the festival of stars.
Son Yong-jun pointed to bulking up as the key to his first call-up this year. He noted, "Last year, I struggled a lot physically, so I focused on bulking up during the offseason. I gained about 8 kg compared to last year," and added, "The process was very difficult. Since I have a naturally lean build, I forced myself to eat chicken breast and bananas every 4 hours. I had a strong desire to gain weight."
Regarding the effects of bulking up, he replied, "Originally, it was thought that it would be hard at this time, but it hasn't been as difficult as last year. I feel that the distance of my hits hasn't increased much, but physically it has become much easier. I prepared diligently while learning sports nutrition at the offseason training center."
When asked about his goals for the second half, Son Yong-jun responded, "Rather than the first team games, I intend to focus on performing well in each second team game right in front of me. If good results come out, I believe good opportunities will be given. Right now, I need to gain a lot of experience," adding, "I want to be a player who is passionate and works hard no matter the results on the field. I hope manager Youm Kyoung-youb can come and see me when he has time."
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