Outfielder Han Seok-hyeon (29) has emerged as the energizer of the NC Dinos’ spring camp.

Han Seok-hyun,바카라 who wore an NC uniform as a free agent (FA) in the Futures League (second team) last November, is quickly integrating into the team. In the practice game against the World Baseball Classic (WBC) baseball team held on the 17th (Korean time), he participated as the team’s leadoff and made an impression on NC coach Kang In-kwon with 2 hits and 1 RBI in 5 at-bats.

Han Seok-hyun says that he is “motivated” by the transfer of the 2nd group FA. He met with reporters during the team’s spring camp held in Tucson, Arizona, USA and expressed his confidence, “I am in good shape. I think it will be okay if I just adapt quickly. I am confident in the offense, defense and week.” When Lee Myung-gi (Hanwha Eagles) and Kwon Hee-dong (unsigned) applied for free agency, NC turned their attention to the outside to prepare for the transfer. It was Han Seok-hyun who promoted the recruitment most quickly and actively. He judged that he was not inferior to a first-team backup outfielder. 

Han Seok-hyun has yet to show anything properly in the first team. In his debut year in 2020, he made only 31 first-team appearances until last season. His batting performance is also mediocre with a batting average of 0.250 (8 hits in 32 at-bats). However, he has thick bones in the second team. He played in 441 games in the second team and recorded a batting average of 0.293 (384 hits in 1309 at bats). In the 2020 season, he became the batting king (0.345) and the stealing king (29) in the northern league of the 2nd group, and last year his batting average was as high as 0.338 (51 hits in 151 bats). He was highly evaluated and sent love calls from at least three clubs after the declaration of free agency for the second group. Han Seok-hyun said, “He moved people’s hearts and treated them warmly. (In NC) I felt that they needed me.” 

NC has a solid first-team outfield lineup. Foreign hitter Jason Martin, as well as national team players Park Gun-woo and Son A-seop fill the three spots. After all, it is a competition for backup outfielders, but it seems that Han Seok-hyun and Kim Seong-wook have entered a competition for left fielders. It remains to be seen which player will get a chance during the camp.

Hitting coach Song Ji-man said, “Han Seok-hyun has good approach flexibility. He is a player who has a natural contact point.”