I wake up at 3 a.m. and turn on the Major League Baseball channel. Watching Ken Griffey Jr, Mark McGwire, and Barry Bonds fostered his slugger dreams.
‘Hercules’ Shim Jung-soo looks back on his dream of playing in the major leagues. He hit 328 home runs in the KBO, dominating the league alongside Lee Seung-yeop, the “national hitter,” and challenged the American stage. Aside from his huge physique, he was one of the most active players in communicating with foreign players and was eager to learn English. However, he never reached that stage.
Now, his son is trying to fulfill his father’s dream. Shim’s second son, Jong-hyun Shim (21-Kevin Shim), is aiming for a top draft pick amid rave reviews at the draft combine. On Day 1 of the Combine at Chase Field in Arizona, Jong-Hyun Shim led the field in key batting workouts, including hard hit (15), sweet spot (16) and hard hit+sweet spot (13). His proven power and presence at the University of San Diego hasn’t gone unnoticed at the Combine.스포츠토토
Shim Jong-hyun, the second son of Shim Jung-soo, who will be entering the ML draft this year. Photo via Jong-hyun Shim’s social media
“I’m living my childhood dream by watching my sons,” Jung-soo Shim said in an interview with MLB.com on March 23 (KST). He moved to San Diego with his family in 2009 and raised three sons, Jong-won (Jake Shim) Shim, Jong-hyun Shim and Eric Shim, to become elite baseball players. “I wanted them to get used to the cultural differences, and seeing (my sons) now hitting at the combine and playing high school and college baseball is like showing me old photos,” he said.
Shim Jong-hyun, the second son of Shim Jung-soo, who is entering the ML draft this year. Photo via Shim Jong-hyun’s social media
“I learned to play baseball from my father from a young age. I was very fortunate to learn my father’s hitting skills,” he reflected. He continued, “My father is a hitter with a great career. My current swing is the result of working with him behind the scenes to find the right shape for me.”
He also dreams of playing in the World Baseball Classic (WBC). During the WBC, he felt proud to be Korean. So far, there are 26 Korean major leaguers. Shim was born in 2002 in Daegu, South Korea. “It’s exciting to think about,” he says of his future.