On July 29th, professional baseball Kiwoom and LG made a trade that changed the ‘present’ and ‘future’. Kiwoom gave up starting pitcher Choi Won-tae, and brought two future pitching resources and the right to pick for the first round of next year’s season. Among the cards Kiwoom recruited, the key was the hitter Lee Joo-hyung (22).메이저놀이터
Kiwoom thought to first look at Lee Joo-hyung’s ability to adapt to the first team, whose batting talent is at a recognized level, for the rest of the season. In addition, it was planned to confirm the possibility of using Lee Joo-hyung as a solution to the ‘center fielder and main gun’ void that will arise when Lee Jung-hoo, the team’s signboard, leaves for the US stage after this season.
In August, a month after the transfer, Kiwoom’s bench seems to have already gained some confidence in being able to give an ‘answer’.
On the 30th, Director Kiwoom Hong Won-ki presented a so-called ‘monthly evaluation’ to questions about Lee Joo-hyung prior to the literary SSG exhibition. Lee Joo-hyung has a batting average of 0.327 (35 hits in 107 at-bats), 4 homers, 21 RBIs, 0.881 OPS and 3 stolen bases in 27 games from the transfer to the SSG game that day. Director Hong gave a ‘passing mark’ while evaluating each category.
Coach Hong said, “I have the ability to turn any pitch into an in-play hit. He is doing his swing on any ball and is producing results, which alone will be very intimidating to pitchers.” Coach Hong also said, “I have seen many players (among the young players), but few players swing on their own no matter what type of ball comes. He commented, “It is proof that he is confident in hitting.”
Director Hong also highlighted Lee Joo-hyung’s ‘learning ability’ through two meetings with Lotte foreign left-hander Charlie Barnes. Lee Joo-hyung struggled against Charlie, who started in the Gocheok Lotte game on the 8th, striking out three times in a row, but in the rematch against Gocheok Lotte on the 18th, he changed the flow to 3 at bats, 2 at bats, 1 hit and 1 walk. Coach Hong said, “There are many pitchers I am seeing for the first time, so there will be some difficulties. However, the first confrontation with the double brother is different from the next confrontation,” he praised his ability to cope after failure.
Initially, the concern was defensive power. It was because there was an evaluation that there were loopholes in defense compared to offense. However, this too was close to rain. Coach Hong said of Lee Joo-hyeong, who is playing as center fielder, “everything is fine and smooth, from the start after the batting judgment, the main effort to chase, and the shoulder (throwing ability).”
The remaining confirmation task is ‘full-time endurance’. Regarding this, coach Hong said, “It is my first full-time experience with the first team, so I have to see how physical problems will appear.” There are things we need to keep looking at,” he said.
There may be only one thing that hasn’t changed between the first day after moving to Kiwoom and now a month later. When asked if he could afford it as a first-team player, coach Hong said, “Not yet. When you see him moving on the ground, he still has a hunger for running, and his desperation remains the same.”