At first, I didn’t even believe myself. “No, why me?” Entering the United States, which I questioned myself. It wasn’t until after I signed the contract that I felt, “I’ve become a member of the Boston Red Sox.”
I met Lee Chan-sol (18), a right-handed pitcher in his senior year at Seoul High School, who recently signed a minor league contract with Boston, a prestigious major league team. Lee Chan-sol, who recently completed a field trip to the United States, said, “I thought it was a good idea to sign a contract when I saw the club facilities in person. He could see with his own eyes the state-of-the-art major league environment he had only heard about. Even though it was a rookie league, all facilities from the training ground to the locker room and swimming pool were perfect,” he laughed.
Lee Chan-sol is a pitching prospect that has been noticed by several KBO league scouts. He knows how to throw various breaking balls such as fast balls in the early 150km/h range, sliders, cutters, and changeups. His physique is also solid, with a height of 1m85cm and a weight of 88kg. A number of advantages were highly evaluated and a top nomination was expected in the 2024 KBO draft to be held on September 14, but this minor league contract changed the destination. Lee Chan-sol said, “I also had a strong desire to play in Korea. But the name Boston, with its history and traditions, moved my heart.”
It was in May when Boston showed interest in Lee Chan-sol in earnest. After the Golden Lion season ended, he communicated his intention to sign the contract, and the contract was confirmed last month. Chansol Lee said, “I didn’t believe it at first. Should I say he doubted it? He couldn’t believe that he was recruiting me, who had poor grades this year.” “The Boston scout showed me my training plan in detail. I can’t talk about everything here, but I was convinced when I saw the carefully planned data.”메이저사이트
Lee Chan-sol, a right-handed pitcher in his senior year at Seoul High School, recently signed a minor league contract with Boston. Posing at Mokdong Stadium where Seoul High School’s game was held. Reporter Koh Bong-joon
Last month, Chansol Lee visited the club’s training ground in Fort Myers, Florida, USA. In this spot, his attachment to Boston grew even more. Lee Chan-sol said, “There are eight stadiums where games can be played. The locker room, swimming pool, and restaurant were also state-of-the-art,” he said. “The Boston emblem was attached to every corner of the facility. He was told it was meant to boost his self-esteem. Also, with the same meaning, the club staff advised him to ‘always wear the club uniform’. He stayed for a few days, and his admiration for Fenway Park (Boston’s home stadium), which boasts history and tradition, grew even more.”
In fact, he wasn’t good at baseball from the beginning. His parents even predicted that his elementary school son would soon give up baseball. However, as he went up to middle school, his ball got faster and faster, and when he entered high school, he got the first pitch and was given the title of a prospect. Lee Chan-sol said, “I liked soccer when I was younger. But his father knew he had no talent for soccer, so he made him play baseball.” “As time passed, I got stronger. He also improved his fastball pitch. So he recalled, “From the third year of middle school, he focused only on pitching.”
Now that his debut stage as a member of society has been set, Lee Chan-sol has decided not to throw the ball in high school baseball games anymore. He is wrapping up his school days by accompanying his Seoul High School mates instead. He plans to build his body by only training until the September training league in the United States.
There are other assignments. He is studying English. Lee Chan-sol said, “The club says they give English tutoring. He heard that he could learn about 2-3 times a week,” he said. “I lived for about 3 months in the second grade of elementary school. He was young, but I remember him having a basic level of communication back then. He will learn with confidence,” he laughs.
Lee Chan-sol, a right-handed pitcher in his senior year at Seoul High School, recently signed a minor league contract with Boston. Posing at Mokdong Stadium where Seoul High School’s game was held. Reporter Koh Bong-joon
Coach Yoo Jung-min of Seoul High School, who coached Lee Chan-sol for the past three years, said, “(Lee) Chan-sol has a good physique and excellent athletic ability. He believes that in the future, if he learns more game tricks, he will quickly achieve good results.”
Lee Chan-sol, who heard this, said, “Like the coach said, I will prepare hard in the future and step on the major league mound within three to four years. Of course, I will become a winning pitcher at Fenway Park, the home stadium that Boston is proud of.”