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Park Jun-young looks to make Doosan Bears shortstop spot his own

Published: 14 Mar. 2025, 17:57

Doosan Bears Jun-Young Park rushes home in the bottom of the 7th inning with runners on 1st and 3rd base, but was tagged out during a KBO preseason game against Kia Tigers in Seoul on March 14. [NEWS1]

With about 300 games spread over six partial KBO seasons under his belt, Doosan Bears shortstop Park Jun-young is trying to lock down his position.

Park was the Bears' Opening Day shortstop last year but never established himself the rest of the way, as he logged just 65 games.

This year, with veteran shortstop Kim Jae-ho having retired, the shortstop job appears to be Park's to lose. And Bears manager Lee Seung-yuop said Friday he would like Park to become more consistent.

Park went 2-for-3 with a home run in Thursday's preseason game against the Kia Tigers after going hitless and making two errors over a two-game span earlier in the week.

"I think a shortstop has to be able to play every day and show consistency, because if a shortstop struggles, it can affect the whole infield," Lee told reporters at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul before hosting the Tigers for the second straight postseason game. "Jun-young has been up and down so far but I think he will be better once the regular season starts."

Though spring training numbers are often taken with a grain of salt, Lee said a home run in an otherwise meaningless game can still make a player feel good about himself heading into the real season.

"He was sitting on a fastball in a hitter's count," Lee said of Park's solo shot from the previous day. "It was only the second home run for our team this preseason. So it was a big positive for us to get some extra-base power."

Doosan Bears Park Jun-young high-fives Coach Goto during a KBO League professional baseball game between against the Samsung Lions at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul on July 12. 2024. [NEWS1]

While demanding consistency from his shortstop, Lee will also ask his veteran catcher Yang Eui-ji to crouch behind the plate more frequently than last year.

Yang played 119 games last year but only made 74 starts as backstop, his fewest in three years.

"We may have to manage his workload at some point but for now, we plan to have him play every day until the end of April," Lee said of the 37-year-old. "To spell Eui-ji down the road, we may carry three catchers because we won't be needing 14 pitchers early on."

Lee is entering the third and final season of his contract, and he has yet to take the Bears deep into the postseason. Having faced three opponents in the preseason — two of them being the 2024 Korean Series champions Tigers and runners-up Samsung Lions — Lee predicted a difficult season ahead.

"The Tigers were really tough to play against yesterday. They swung the bat well, and it's no wonder everyone thinks they're the best team," Lee said. "I don't think there's any team we can take lightly."

Yonhap