At first, I didn’t even believe in myself. “No, why me?” I asked myself, “I’m going to the United States. It wasn’t until the contract was stamped that he realized, “I’m a part of the Boston Red Sox.”
We met right-handed pitcher Lee Chan-sol (18), a junior at Seoul High School, who recently signed a minor league contract with the prestigious Boston Red Sox. “When I saw the team’s facilities, I thought it was a good idea to sign with them. I was able to see the latest major league environment that I had only heard about. Even though it was a rookie league, all the facilities were perfect, from the training field to the locker room to the swimming pool,” he laughed.
Lee Chansol is a pitching prospect who has caught the attention of several KBO scouts. He has a fastball in the low 150 kilometers per hour and a variety of pitches, including a slider, cutter, and changeup. He is also physically strong with a height of 1.85 meters and a weight of 88 kilograms. He was expected to be a top pick in the 2024 KBO First-Year Player Draft on Sept. 14, but this minor league deal changes his destination. “I wanted to play in Korea,” Lee said, “but the name of Boston, with its history and tradition, moved me.
The Red Sox first showed interest in Lee in May. They approached him with an offer after the Golden Gloves season ended, and the deal was finalized last month. “I didn’t believe it at first. I should say I doubted it. I couldn’t believe that they were signing me after my poor performance this year,” Lee said. “The Boston scout showed me my development plan in detail. I can’t talk about it all here, but I was convinced when I saw the carefully organized materials.”
Last month, Lee visited the team’s training facility in Fort Myers, Florida. It was here that his attachment to Boston grew even stronger. “There were eight different stadiums where we could play,” Lee said. The locker rooms, pool, and cafeteria were state-of-the-art,” Lee says. “There were Boston emblems everywhere. I was told that this was to foster pride, and in the same vein, the team staff advised me to ‘always wear the team’s jersey.’ After staying for a few days, my admiration for Fenway Park (Boston’s home stadium), with its history and tradition, grew even more.”
He didn’t always excel at baseball. His parents expected him to stop playing in elementary school, but as he progressed through middle school, he got faster and faster, and by high school, he was catching pitches and was labeled a prospect. “When I was younger, I liked soccer, but my father knew I wasn’t good at soccer, so he made me play baseball,” Lee said. “As time went on, I got stronger. My fastball also got better. So in my junior year of middle school, I focused on pitching,” he recalls.
Now that he was ready to make his professional debut, Lee no longer threw the ball in high school baseball games. Instead, he’s finishing up his school career by traveling with his Seoul High teammates. He plans to train and get in shape before the September Education League in the United States.
He also has other homework. He’s studying English. “The club offers English tutoring,” Lee said. I heard that I can learn two to three times a week.” “I lived there for about three months when I was in the second grade of elementary school. I was young, but I remember being able to communicate basically. I’ll try to learn with confidence,” he laughed.
Seoul High coach Yoo Jung-min, who has coached Lee for the past three years, said, “(Lee) has a good physique and excellent athletic ability. I believe that if he learns more about the game, he will soon achieve good results.”메이저사이트
After hearing this, Lee said, “Like the coach said, I will prepare hard and step on the major league mound in three to four years. Of course, I will also be a winning pitcher at Fenway Park, the proud home of Boston.”