April 24, 2009


Jang Min-ik

Sure, historic powerhouses Gwangju High School and Kyungnam Jaeil High School are favorites in the 43rd Presidential Cup High School Baseball Tournament, which kicks off Friday at western Seoul’s Mokdong Stadium.

And three teams from Seoul - Deoksu, Chungam and Seoul High School - are in the top tier this year as well.

But any of the 25 teams who qualified for the Presidential Cup tourney through regional tournaments has a shot at playing the Cinderella role. It’s happened before, and it will happen again.

Although the five aforementioned powerhouses cannot be ignored, neither can the underdogs. In fact, the unpredictable nature of the tournament, which lasts until May 2, is a big part of its charm.

“Trying to predict the winner of a high school tourney is harder than picking the winner of a Korea Series,” said one scout.

In the end, individual players might make the difference.

One player who is sure to turn heads on opening day is Hyocheon High (Suncheon, South Jeolla) senior pitcher Jang Min-ik.

Standing 207 centimeters (6-foot-8), he is easily the tallest pitcher ever in both pro and amateur levels.

“I’ve never seen such a tall player in all of my 15 years of scouting,” said SK scout Huh Jeong-wook.

The KBO has never had a player over 2 meters tall. Former Doosan Bears player Moon Hui-sung at 198 centimeters was the tallest.

This season, Hanhwa’s rookie Park Sung-ho, a Korea University graduate is the tallest, at 197 centimeters.

Jang has been garnering a lot of attention from the pro scouts for his height alone. And although he’s still a little raw, he has the potential to make it big at the next level.

“He’s a player worth taking a chance on,” Huh said. “If developed properly, he can become a top-notch pitcher. Players with such height often lack balance, but Jang is flexible for his size.”

If he proves his worth at the tournament, he has a shot at being taken in the second or third round of the amateur draft.



By Ha Nam-jik, Jason Kim [jason@joongang.co.kr]