“I will do my best to win the fans’ votes as long as I play well.”
Lotte Giants rookie outfielder Kim Min-seok was among the 15 candidates for the “Best 12” Dream All-Star Outfielders announced by the KBO on January 1. He is the only outfielder in a professional uniform this season and one of only two, along with LG Twins sidearm Park Myung-geun, if you expand the scope to all rookies.
In 40 games since opening day, Park is batting .250 with one home run, 14 RBI, eight doubles, and a .630 OPS. With the two-hitter winds blowing strongly across the league this season, Kim has been performing well beyond his years as a young player fresh out of high school.
The “Best 12” outfield spot in the All-Star Game is reserved for only three out of the 15 candidates. For the Dream All-Stars, the competition is expected to be fierce, with Samsung’s Koo Ja-rook, SSG’s Choi Ji-hoon and Eredia, Samsung’s Pirela, and KT’s Kang Baek-ho.메이저놀이터
“I didn’t expect to be nominated for the All-Star Game at all, and I was very surprised,” Kim Min-seok said before the game against the LG Twins in Jamsil on the 1st. “It doesn’t feel real because I haven’t been selected as an All-Star yet. Honestly, I don’t even know how the voting for the All-Star selection works,” he laughed sheepishly.
The 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO All-Star Game will be divided into Dream All-Stars (SSG, KT, Samsung, Lotte, Doosan) and Sharing All-Stars (Kiwoom, LG, KIA, NC, Hanwha). A total of 24 ‘Best 12’ players from each team will be selected from 120 nominees per position.
The “Best 12” will be determined by a combination of online fan voting (70%) and in-person voting by KBO players (30%) over a period of about three weeks. In addition, 13 players recommended by the managers of the Dream All-Stars and Sharing All-Stars will be added to each team, totaling 25 players.
For Kim Min-seok, who has been dubbed the “resignation idol” and is fiercely supported by Lotte fans, it is an advantage to receive “firepower support” from fan votes in the All-Star Game.
Kim remembers watching the All-Star Game in person as a first grader when he first started dreaming of becoming a professional baseball player. In 2011, he traveled to the Jamsil All-Star Game to watch the star-studded event, and now he aims to share the field with the best players in baseball.
“Park Myung-geun is also a rookie, but he’s more than that. Personally, I hope we’re both selected (to the All-Star Game),” he said, adding, “Whether it’s a fan vote or a manager’s recommendation, I think I need to showcase my skills on the field.”
“I think going to the All-Star game will be a great experience and I will learn a lot from being around other good players and seniors,” he said. “I believe that I will get the votes I deserve based on what I show on the field. I will do my best to stay injury-free and play well,” he emphasized.