The NC Dinos, a former ninth-round player, has made a successful debut. The best example is Kwon Hee-dong (35), an outfielder from the ninth round of the 2013 rookie draft. Kwon joined NC`s first team as a team player, and although there were ups and downs after acquiring the free agent, he is serving as a solid support for NC`s outfielders. Another "Miracle in the 9th Round" is making history after Kwon.

After graduating from Hyocheon High School and Dongu University, Seo Ho-cheol (29), an infielder who was designated as the second and ninth round of the 2019 Rookie Draft, played his third full-time season, jumping to the starting lineup. In 2021, as a member of Sangmu, he posted a batting average of 388 (97 hits in 250 at-bats) in 76 games, six homers and 56 RBIs in the Futures League. He returned to NC with the title of "Futures League batting king."메이저사이트

In 2022, the first season after being discharged from the military, he only had a batting average of 259 (60 hits in 195 at-bats) in 89 games, with two homers, 14 RBIs and 26 runs scored in OPS. He had difficulty adapting himself to the situation in the first season of his compulsory military service.

However, Seo has emerged as the team's main third baseman from 2023. He showed off his competitive edge in the first division with a batting average of 287 (having 114 hits in 397) and five homers, 41 RBIs, 50 runs and an OPS of .714. In particular, he displayed strong batting performance in the postseason, including the wild card game and the semi-playoff. He made a dramatic grand slam in the wild card game against Doosan Bears, which left a strong impression.

And last year, Seo hit his first double-digit home run since his debut. He had a batting average of 285 (146 hits in 512 times at bat) in 141 games, with 10 homers, 61 RBIs, 68 runs and an OPS of .735. He played the most games since his debut, and hit his first double-digit home run. He seemed to have settled down for sure in the first team.

However, even though Seo had the best season since his debut, he cannot afford to rest assured of his starting position. The infield competition is tight. Seo's direct competitor is Kim Hui-jip, who showed strong performance after joining the team through a trade last year. Lee Ho-joon plans to use Kim Hui-jip as third baseman, who failed to decide on a certain position last year. 

The team could compete with Kim Joo-won, the existing shortstop, but the plan is to have Kim take the shortstop position first and then have Kim take the third baseman position. In November last year, Lee Ho-joon said, "When I jokingly asked (Kim) if I want to play shortstop, I was embarrassed. So I asked him, 'Do you think Joo-won can win?' and he didn't say anything again." The question was whether he was confident in his competition with Kim Joo-won, who is currently serving as the main shortstop.

"I told him to focus on third base. Kim Hui-jip will prepare for third base and will not send him to first base." Seo Ho-cheol will be back in the competition.

In the meantime, Lee Ho-joon said, "We will have Seo practice with us at the same time as the first baseman." Lee said, "We will train 50-50 and Davidson will go as the designated hitter, Ho-cheol will go as the first baseman, and if Kim Hwi-jip is not in good condition, Ho-cheol will go as well. Ho-cheol does not want to be a second baseman, but rather trains only the first and third basemen. Second baseman Park Min-woo will be backed up by Kim Han-byul and Do Tae-hoon," referring to the infield team's plan.

Seo Ho-chul, who looked back on his performance last year, said, "I've never run this much before, but I decided to take a break and train a lot last year, and when I should focus and when I don't. I think I'll be able to spend the regular season in better condition this year than last year." 

There is no satisfaction every year. He said, "I think I can do better this year than last year. I think I have to do better than last year and I think I can do better. I think I have a lot of experience. I have more confidence." 

Since Seo has recorded double-digit homers, it is natural for him to aim for better performance. Seo's confidence comes from experience. I don't want to stop playing hardball last year. "I've never thought about double-digit homers, but I think there's nothing I can't do," Seo said. "I'm not aware of home runs but thinking about hitting the center well. If you do that, you'll get good home runs and other figures."

He is also determined to compete and is not afraid. "If we have competition, we can prepare better. Then, of course, our performance will improve. We are trying to embrace competition positively," he said. "Based on our experience last year, our batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage will all increase. That's how confident I am," he said, vowing to overcome the competition and secure the starting lineup.