“A player who will explode if given a chance” LG tearful prospect, will Kiwoom lead the top 5 in the land of opportunity

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• on Jul 30, 2023

LG Twins prospect Lee Joo-hyung (22), who was evaluated as having nothing to verify on the Futures League stage, headed to Kiwoom Heroes, the “land of opportunity.”

In the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League regular season home game against the Samsung Lions held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 29th, Lee Joo-hyung started as the 7th hitter and left fielder and recorded 1 hit and 1 point in 4 at-bats. Kiwoom lost 2-7, but Lee Joo-hyung greeted the home fans at first base in his first at-bat and made a successful debut by recording a heavy hit and scoring to David Buchanan. Kim Tae-jin’s fast feet, which came in from second base to home plate at the right time in the middle left, were excellent.

Prior to the game, Kiwoom officially announced, “From LG, infielder Lee Joo-hyung and pitcher Kim Dong-gyu, received the right to be nominated for the 1st round of the 2024 rookie draft, and traded pitcher Won-tae Choi.” This year, Choi Won-tae (26) is playing an active role as a starter with an average ERA of 3.25 and 6 wins and 4 losses in 17 games. In terms of his earned run average, he ranks 10th overall in the league among starting pitchers and 4th among domestic players. Interest in Lee Joo-hyeong was great because it was considered the opposite of such Choi Won-tae, and that was also the main chip. After the announcement of the trade, Lee Joo-hyung’s last greeting mixed with tears, uploaded on LG club’s YouTube, was so explosive that more than 900 comments were received. At Gocheok Sky Dome, many fans who brought Lee Joo-hyung’s LG uniform were caught on the relay screen.

It was said that Kiwoom, who placed 9th, gave up the season because he gave up resources for the first starter. However, in a phone call with Star News on the 29th, Koh Hyung-wook, general manager of Kiwoom, said, “We cannot give up the season.먹튀검증

It’s not an easy situation, but it was calculated that Choi Won-tae’s vacancy would be blocked by Jeong Chan-heon (34) and other starters. Kiwoom is building a solid mound with the league’s 1st starting ERA (3.31). While the starting rotation is expected to consist of An Woo-jin, Ariel Furado, Ian McKinney, Jang Jae-young, and Jeong Chan-heon, there is faith that the 5th starter Jeong Chan-heon will do his part. This season, Jeong Chan-heon has an average ERA of 3.94 in 11 matches for the 1st team, 2 wins and 5 losses, and an average ERA of 2.08 in 4 matches for the Futures, recording sufficient results as a 5 starter. General manager Koh showed his faith, saying, “Jung Chan-heon is throwing a good ball in the Futures League. He came up to the first team and did the same, and he judged that it would not be too much trouble for the starting lineup.”

The key is that Lee Jung-hoo (25) is the worst hitter in the league, even missing after surgery on the extensor belt on his left ankle. With three months of rehabilitation expected, Kiwoom’s team batting average by the game on the 29th was 0.252, 9th in the league, and OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) was 0.671, 10th in the league. I believed that Lee Joo-hyung could make up for the lack of Lee Jung-hoo. Lee Joo-hyung was a cotyledon whose voice would be enough to be evaluated as “the verification is over in the 2nd group.”

Lee Joo-hyung, who graduated from Gyeongnam High School, joined LG with the 13th overall pick in the 2nd round of the 2020 rookie draft. In the first team, he only had 35 at-bats before the trade, but in the Futures League, he hit .300 every season, with a career batting average of 0.335, 11 home runs, 63 RBIs, 76 runs scored, 21 stolen bases, and an on-base percentage of 0.454. In LG, it was not possible to take a firm place in the first team because of the poor second base defense and thick outfield depth, but Kiwoom was steadfast in its direction. General manager Ko said, “I have to discuss it with the field,” but said, “I can back up the first baseman, but I expect him to take a spot in the outfield.”

Expected to play mainly as a corner outfielder, what is most anticipated is precision hitting and hit production from quick feet. He also has enough power to pass Jamsil Stadium, so we can expect Lee Jung-hoo to some extent. Koh said, “Lee Joo-hyeong was a player who was highly evaluated internally, but he was also highly evaluated by LG. I thought he would be able to reach his full potential if he gave him a chance. Naturally, we decided that our team’s offensive power would become stronger.” .

In Kiwoom, there are many cases where promising players from LG, such as Park Byeong-ho (37, KT Wiz) and Seo Geon-chang (34, LG), who grew up as franchise stars, showed their potential. Lee Joo-hyung is also a player who is recognized by everyone for his potential. Kiwoom, who sent another franchise star, also expects Lee Joo-hyung, left by Choi Won-tae, to fully develop his skills and help him advance to the top 5.