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| From left, former Korea Baseball Organization star players Kim Yong-dal, Park Jong-hoon and Ma Hae-young speak during the spring conference of the Society for Korean Baseball Studies at Sungkyunkwan University, on May 2. / Courtesy of Patrick Bourgo |
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| Lee Seung-yuop |
The 2015 spring conference for the Society of Korean Baseball Studies (SKB) was held on May 2 at Sungkyunkwan University and talk touched on topics ranging from the neuroscience of hitting and free agents to a panel discussion on batting featuring three ex-KBO greats.
The five-hour conference was divided into two sessions, and attendees included people from the baseball industry, reporters, professors, students and baseball fans.
The SKB was started by KAIST Professor Jeong Jae-seung in 2013. The group came about as a result of his baseball research that produced the book, "The Baek In-cheon Project." According to Jeong, one of the main goals of the society is to contribute to the scientific understanding of baseball through the sharing of information and the facilitation of further research on the subject. This was SKB's fifth conference, and they plan to hold the next one in the fall.
The first session was composed of four individual presentations. In addition to the talk on the neuroscience of hitting by Dr. Ryu Je-gwang from Seoul National University, there was a presentation exploring the relationship between batting and annual salary on the free agent market.
Ex-Doosan Bears pitcher Cha Myeong-ju spoke about injuries caused by the throwing motion for pitchers and position players; and the first session wrapped up with Park Yun-sung of the Bizball Project talking about the effects of pitch sequencing, in which he cited recent research on the topic from the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR).
The highlight of the conference for many was the panel discussion on batting featuring ex-MBC Blue Dragons first baseman Kim Yong-dal, ex-OB Bears outfielder Park Jong-hoon and slugger Ma Hae-young, who played for Lotte, Samsung, Kia and LG. The panelists delighted the audience with their candor, expertise and passion for the game.
Among the numerous questions tackled by the panelists was, "Who is the best all-time KBO hitter?" The panel was unanimous in declaring it to be KBO home run king Lee Seung-yuop. It was without any hesitation that all three concurred that the Samsung Lions' slugging first baseman was the best hitter the KBO has ever seen.
There was also a discussion on the most recent KBO export to Major League Baseball, the Pirates' Kang Jung-ho and his much talked about leg kick. The panelists explained the purpose and mechanics of the leg kick and its effect on batting.
While all three accomplished hitters brought their experience and expertise to the discussion, one member of the audience was won over by Park, saying that his "charisma and humor stole the show."
When asked why he attended the conference, a member of the baseball industry who preferred to remain nameless stated, "There is stuff to learn and it's the only baseball conference going on in Korea." He also noted that the highlight for him was "in addition to the information, meeting people who really know about baseball, and getting acquainted with them."
The only drawback to the conference could be that there was no interpretation for non-Korean speakers who wanted to learn more about Korean baseball. But when asked about that, Jeong said the society had already discussed adding English interpretation and the possibility of inviting international scholars and speakers for future conferences.
The SKB spring conference was definitely a success, having something for everyone, from the academically inclined to more casual baseball fans who want to learn more about the game. It also provides a good opportunity for fans to meet ex-KBO stars and get a photo or autograph.
Patrick Bourgo is a Seoul-based baseball researcher and writer. He's on Twitter: @kballhistory
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