The Kiwoom Heroes Futures team headed to Kaosung, Taiwan, where the 2024 spring camp will take place, through Incheon International Airport on Sunday. Third-year outfielder Park Chan-hyuk (21) also boarded the plane. "Whenever I go to a camp, I leave the country with excitement," said Park Chan-hyuk, who interviewed reporters before departure. "I prepared a lot during the off-season, but I want to use it during the spring camp. I have a different mindset as I have to prepare for the season in earnest."

Park Chan-hyuk is from Bukil High School and joined the team as the sixth overall in the second round of the 2022 Rookie Draft. When he was in high school, he received a lot of attention as a slugger. He wore a burgundy uniform amid the evaluation that he was excellent in all aspects, including offense, defense, and base running. Kiwoom also expressed its expectation that Park Chan-hyuk will become a franchise star if he continues to grow steadily.

In 2022, his debut season, Park recorded a slugging percentage of 0.354 with six homers in 52 games, and in the Futures League, he recorded a slugging percentage of 0.404 with three homers in 28 games, demonstrating his potential. However, in 2023, he changed his batting form and failed to take advantage of his strengths. In the 2023 season, he recorded a batting average of 0.266 with one homer in 48 games.

Recognizing his problems, Park revised his batting position again. When he had a good time, he tried to recover his form. "Last year, I couldn't play all my swings and my balance collapsed," Park said. "I was in a hurry to hit the ball. I practiced all season to keep my balance again. Now I have no such problem. I am keeping my balance well," Park said, expressing satisfaction with the training results.

"Certainly, the coaches' ratings have improved as well. I also gained confidence. I think I have established my batting form. I also did a lot of weight training to upgrade my batting form. I feel lighter," he said, expressing confidence.

Despite his steady off-season, Park applied to the Sangmu Baseball Team of the Armed Forces Sports Unit. This was because he wanted to finish his military service when he was even a little younger. When the final successful applicants are announced in March, they must join the military in June. He will be discharged from the military in December 2025.

"I wanted to serve in the military as soon as possible when I was young," Park said. "If I get accepted to Sangmu, I will be able to continue playing baseball. While playing in the Futures League, I thought that I will be able to deal with my batting performance more reliably. If I come back, I think I will grow even more than I do now. I heard from seniors who play for Sangmu and they said that the sports facilities are good. I applied to Sangmu because I thought it was a good opportunity."

LG Twins' Lee Jae-won and Lotte Giants' Han Dong-hee also applied for Sangmu. Park expected that if he worked out with his seniors, he could absorb their strengths. "I heard Jaewon and Donghee also applied for Sangmu. I want to go and exercise together. I think I will learn a lot from them," Park said.

Park Chan-hyuk leaves for Kaohsiung, where the spring camp will be held, and has to return to Korea on the 19th for the Sangmu physical fitness test. He will take a physical fitness test on the 20th and return to Kaohsiung on the 21st to join the spring camp. Park Chan-hyuk has a tight schedule.

Even if he is accepted into the Sangmu, Park pledged to do his best before joining the military. He is determined to show his presence even a little. "I'm going to do everything I want to do before joining the military. I want to make a good impression on him," he said.    https://www.totositesafe.com/