Confidence with bat spilling over to defense for KBO rookie

Park Jun-soon of the Doosan Bears hits an RBI single against the Samsung Lions during a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, July 2. Coutesy of the Doosan Bears

As his first Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season gets into the dog days of summer, Doosan Bears rookie third baseman Park Jun-soon is heating up at the plate. And his confidence with the bat has been spilling over to his improved defensive work at third base.

In the Bears' 5-0 win over the Samsung Lions on Wednesday in Seoul, Park made his presence felt on both ends. He drove in the game's first run with a single in the bottom of the fourth — only the Bears' third hit off starter Gerson Garabito — and then made a key diving grab to foil a bases-loaded chance for the Lions in the fifth.

Park's clutch single came with a man at second base. In his past five games, Park is batting a perfect 1.000 with runners in scoring position.

"I had no idea," Park said afterward when told of his performance. "I was facing (Gerson Garabito) for the first time, and I was just looking for a fastball. I swung the bat with confidence and got a good result with it."

For the season, Park is batting .277 with two homers and five RBIs in 32 games. And he has an even better .346 batting average over his past 10 games while establishing himself as the Bears' new primary third baseman.

Park, still 10 days from his 19th birthday, was the sixth overall pick and the first non-pitcher to be chosen at last year's KBO draft. Despite his offensive potential and defensive versatility, Park didn't make his season debut until April 13, some three weeks after Opening Day, and only logged four games that month. He also barely played in May, making eight appearances as a defensive replacement without once stepping into the box.

Doosan Bears third baseman Park Jun-soon, right, high-fives pitcher Cole Irvin after the end of the top of the fifth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game against the Samsung Lions at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, July 2. Coutesy of the Doosan Bears

But after manager Lee Seung-yuop resigned June 2 with the Bears stuck in ninth place among 10 clubs, Park's fortunes began to change. Interim manager Cho Sung-hwan demoted some slumping veterans to the minor league and started giving youngsters like Park an opportunity to play.

Since June 3, Park has started 17 of the Bears' 19 games — one game at shortstop, three games at second base, and 13 games at third base.

Though Park has committed six errors at the hot corner, he has flashed the kind of athleticism that made him such a coveted prospect in high school.

And Park's diving stab on a hard grounder by Kim Seong-yoon in Wednesday's win was a game-saving play. Had the ball gone past Park, it could easily have put the Lions up 2-1, with the heart of their order coming up — Koo Ja-wook, Lewin Diaz and Kang Min-ho.

Park was standing on the grass when he dove for the play, making his catch that much more impressive. And then he calmly got to his feet and fired a strike to first base to throw out Kim, one of the KBO's fastest runners.

"I dove for the ball when it was hit in my direction," Park said. "Once I saw that the ball was in my glove, I could breathe a sigh of relief."

Park admitted he is "not yet perfect" at third base but added, "As I've been putting up good numbers at the plate, I've been growing more confident in my defense too.

"I don't want to waste the opportunity I've been given," he said. "I want to do the best I can in every moment."