‘Home Run, Home Run,’ another 160km monster super rookie in one episode… How I overcame my ‘mental breakdown’
He hit his first home run off a foreign pitcher in his professional debut, and his second homer off a national ace caused a stir.
Hanwha’s rookie outfielder Moon Hyun-bin (19) is not used to running. In the top of the third inning against Sajik Lotte on Thursday, Moon hit a 145-kilometer fastball from Dan Straily over the right-center field fence for his first professional home run. On the 15th against Sajik Lotte, he surprised everyone by drawing an arch against Na Kyun-ahn, who was selected for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. With two outs and runners on first and second in the top of the third inning, he took a 132-kilometer forkball from Na Gyun-ahn.
It was the 19-year-old rookie’s second straight home run. Hanwha was able to take the series against Lotte thanks to Moon Hyun-bin’s long-hitting show.
Now with 20 RBIs under his belt, Moon is batting .256 with two home runs, 20 RBIs and three doubles on the season and is a breath of fresh air in the Eagles’ outfield.
“It was a line drive, and the fence at Sajik Stadium is high, so I was nervous, but I knew it when I saw the umpire’s home run call,” Moon said of his first professional home run, adding, “I always think about fastballs first. When I come to my favorite course, I focus on producing results.”
Moon Hyun-bin, who has been a promising prospect since his days at Cheonan Bukil High School, was selected by Hanwha in the second round of the 2023 KBO Draft. “It’s definitely hard to be consistently good,” he said. In high school, I had a break after one tournament, but in the pros, there are games every day,” he said.
Moon got off to a slow start. In April alone, his batting average stood at .218, and after the Jamsil LG game on May 19, his batting average dropped to .188.
먹튀검증 “I started with the idea of showing my best in the exhibition games, and I had to do better in the regular season, so I was under a lot of pressure. I became conscious of the results, and my first thought was that my batting average would drop when I stepped into the batter’s box.” Moon Hyun-bin said honestly, “Actually, I had a lot of mental difficulties in April and May. I did mental training with Coach Lee Ji-pung, and it was a new world. Mental is the most important thing in baseball,” he said, adding that the effectiveness of his mental training has led to his recent performance. Looking at his June numbers alone, he is clearly on the upswing with a .292 batting average with two home runs and six RBIs.
Hanwha made a splash with the signing of 160-kilometer super rookie Kim Seo-hyun, but Moon Hyun-bin is a step ahead in terms of adjustment to the professional game at this point. Is there another super rookie on the horizon?