Jang Hyun-seok (19) of Masan Yongma High School will end his high school career with the President’s Cup.
Yongma High School suffered a 0-7 seventh inning loss against Gyeonggi High School in the quarterfinals of the 57th Presidential Baseball Tournament at Mokdong Stadium in Seoul, South Korea on April 8. They gave up six runs in the first inning and didn’t even get a chance to use their ace Jang Hyun-seok. After briefly warming up in the first inning, Jang Hyun-seok was pulled from the game as the game became one-sided.
Jang Hyun-seok, one of the top high school prospects this year, officially announced his entry into the major leagues on the 1st. With a fastball that easily exceeds 150 kilometers per hour and excellent physical attributes (190 centimeters, 90 kilograms), Jang Hyun-seok is a coveted prospect for major league teams. There are speculations that he could surpass the contract of Shim Jun-seok, who signed with Pittsburgh for $750,000 last year.
In his three years of high school, Jang went 6-3 with a 1.84 ERA in 21 games (68 1/3 innings), and he showed off a strong command of his pitches, striking out a whopping 102 batters. He also struck out 42 batters with his four-pitch arsenal, but with such a dominant delivery, he has a lot of potential.
Jang Hyun-seok hasn’t pitched many innings in the President’s Cup since he announced his entry into the major leagues. He gave up two runs in one inning in the second game of the Daegu Sangwon Classic on April 4 and pitched ⅔ of a scoreless inning in the round of 16 Daejeon Classic on April 5.
With the national team set to compete at the Hangzhou Asian Games in September, Jang is focusing on maximizing his physical condition. He is also considering playing in the Bonghwangdae tournament, which starts on September 15.
In an interview on the 8th, Jang Hyun Suk said, “I think I’ll have to talk to the director and decide. I might not be able to compete, but nothing is certain yet. It’s my last competition in high school, so of course I want to throw it. But I also have to compete in the Asian Games, so I think the coach can take that into consideration.”스포츠토토
The Asian Games are very important not only for the Korean team but also for Jang Hyun-seok himself. “I’m still a little out of shape, but I’m getting better,” he said, adding, “I have a lot of time left, so I think I’ll be able to do well enough.”