The career paths of Korean student baseball players are extremely limited. Get nominated by a KBO league team, or go to college. If even this fails, the future will be bleak. However, in this year’s Major League Amateur Draft, there were players who pioneered a new path. Shin Woo-yeol, who graduated from Bae Jae High School, was selected in the 16th round by the Tampa Bay Rays, and Choi Byung-yong, who graduated from Shinil High School, was selected by the San Diego Padres in the last 20 round.
Shin Woo-yeol participated in the amateur draft after attending Miami Dade College. It is a team that Shin Woo-yeol is familiar with as it is a team in the same state of Florida. When he was contacted on the 14th (Korean time), he said, “I’ve been there a lot for away games. It only takes 4 hours by car.” I will work hard without forgetting the basic things.”
Looking back at the moment of his nomination, Shin Woo-yeol confessed, “I was dazed, and frankly, I felt discouraged.” He achieved his goal of draft nomination, but he felt happy and proud for a while because he felt that his daily life had not changed and that a new challenge had just begun.
He said, “The very next day, I went out for weight training at 7:00. I woke up at 6:00, got ready, went to the baseball field, and then returned. I sacrificed myself to the extent that I came out early (at school) and went in last. I thought there would be a big change after that, but after I was called, I felt empty and thought that it was the same.
It is a 16th round nomination, so it is not a position to get a large down payment right away. In the United States, there are many cases in which players try to improve their order by going to a four-year university after receiving a draft nomination in this way. However, Shin Woo-yeol said, “In fact, we discussed going to the University of Miami. During that time, I was nominated and got an agent, and I was worried. In the end, I, my agent, my parents, and the coach all came to the conclusion that I should sign a contract with Tampa Bay. If I’m not ready, 4 I have to go to the yearly system, but since I’m ready, I came to the conclusion that I should go in now, when I have a chance to survive.”
– I’m curious about the background that made you decide to go to an American university after graduating from high school.
“I applied to a domestic university with the expectation of graduating from Baejae High School in 2020. I wrote all six applications. He said, “Wouldn’t you like to visit?” Actually, I was young at the time, and I was busy doing unfamiliar things such as writing a self-introduction letter and preparing for an interview while not being drafted. Two days later, the director brought up the story again, and then I decided to leave without even telling my parents.”
“There was a mistake rather than worry or fear. At that time, I thought I was good at baseball, because my batting average was over 40%. I just thought they didn’t know. After receiving the offer to go to the U.S., I wondered if I was really good at it, and I wanted to know what it was like to be really good at baseball. And I told my parents, but my mother was against it, but my father encouraged me.”
– How did you prepare for American universities?
“I didn’t know what the situation would be like, so I looked into the American side while preparing for the interview at a Korean university. Then I was able to go to the Dade College tryout. That day was the interview at a domestic university. I was told to move the tryout date, but I was worried. I thought I would go to America without it.”
“As you all know, I didn’t study English when I was in school. (Because of training) I didn’t have the conditions to study. I just walked in place and put it down with the mindset of ‘I’ll do it if I go,’ and prepared so that I could just introduce myself.”메이저놀이터
“It was decided to join in January 2020, but at that time, I didn’t have a high school diploma, so I had to enter the next semester. Then the COVID-19 crisis broke out. It came. It said that they would not accept international students in the second half of the year. I thought it was over. I was in despair. I worked hard because I wanted to work hard if I joined even in September, but the shock was great. After all, January 5, 2021, the date is still I remember. I left the country that day.”
– What differences did you feel while playing baseball in the US?
“I was surprised from the tryout. I saw a play that broke the mold of baseball that I had thought of until now. After coming to the United States, my mentality was broken every day for the first three days. I became more free and confident in my play. As a result, I was able to play a game that I could not make in Korea. Little by little, I adapted to life rather than development. At first, I focused on getting along with these people. In the first year, I adapted and learned English I wasted my time doing it.”
“After that, I worked really hard in earnest. Fortunately, our team coach was an expert in the batting part. He was such a good coach that I learned and felt a lot. We had a lot of conversations. As a result, my skills improved naturally. I met a trainer I worked with until now. As I worked out together, my body got bigger and I got stronger, so I got the skills I couldn’t because I didn’t have the strength. That’s why my performance got better.”
“Dade College is on the free side even in the US. It is in Miami, and there are many players from Central and South America. The thing I heard the most was, ‘Try it.’ I was able to give myself feedback. I made the process myself and received help from coaches. In Korea, the goal was to be seen by someone.”
– There must have been many players who spoke Spanish, but wasn’t it difficult to adapt?
“Everyone speaks Spanish except for me. Sometimes I speak only Spanish, sometimes I speak English as well. But there was no big problem. I tried to imitate the feeling of Latino players, or the sense of baseball, because they looked cool. Even if everyone could not speak English naturally, doctors Communication became possible. I made really close friends. I spend holidays with my family during holidays like this in the US, but since I am alone, my friends invite me to family gatherings. I had a good time.”
Shin Woo-yeol signed an agent contract with Wasserman Media Group, which includes Seiya Suzuki (Cubs) and Godai Senga (Mets), and takes on a new challenge as a professional baseball player.