Lotte, who had been in the lower ranks for the past few years, collected many prospects with the top draft picks obtained through that pain. The team hasn’t made it to the postseason in the last three years, but it’s comforting to say that they’ve collected prospects in the relatively right direction.
It is interesting that players with excellent growth potential, regardless of pitcher and fielder, have been gathered, and unlike before, a large number of players with excellent athletic ability have joined the squad. However, potential and performance are separate issues. Lotte joined with high expectations, but there are still many promising players who have not firmly established themselves in the first team.
Especially on the mound side, there is a sense of regret. A number of ‘big fish’ players were selected from the relatively rich Busan farm, but there are not many players who have firmly established themselves. Yoon Seong-bin, the 1st nominee in 2017 (down payment of 450 million won), Seo Jun-won, the 1st nominee in 2019 (down payment of 350 million won), Kim Jin-wook, the 1st overall premise nominee in 2021 (down payment of 370 million won) The back raised high expectations, but it is still struggling.
Rather, those who have settled in the starting lineup are Park Se-woong, who was brought in by trade, Na Kyun-an, who turned from catcher to pitcher, and Lee In-bok, who have come back quite a long way since being nominated in 2014. If you look closely, there is also Han Hyun-hee, who was recruited as a free agent. Lotte pitching coach Bae Young-soo is also adamant. Just because he’s a promising player doesn’t guarantee he’ll get a chance, he said. He insists that skills should be supported first. It’s a pro, so it’s natural.
Coach Bae said, “(Kim) Jin-wook and (Seo) Jun-won are the same, and (Lee) Min-seok is the same. While presuming that these selection agents should be clear in a few years now, “not all prospects are selected. He expressed his belief that he is selected when he has risen to a certain extent, but he cannot give them a chance.”
Coach Bae said, “When you have achieved some results, you go to the starting lineup. There is also a limit to waiting. It’s not like you have to wait forever, and it’s not like you’re a professional and you don’t select just because you’re old or because you’re young,” he said, emphasizing that performance is the most important. I will,” he said, looking forward to the players’ efforts.
Yoon Seong-bin is still unable to meet the expectations he had at the time of joining due to frequent injuries. Even with his season ahead, a left hamstring injury has prevented him from exercising properly. Although Seo Jun-won is one of the starting candidates this season, his overall performance after joining the team fell short of expectations. Kim Jin-wook, who had a lot of expectations with ‘The Biggest Word’, is undergoing a test with the bullpen while being excluded from the selection list, but his performance in this demonstration game is not very good. He is holding on to an 8.10 earned run average, giving up five walks in 3⅓ innings in four games.
As much as they have talent, they are players who need to be constantly interested in, making use of their strengths and supplementing their weaknesses. It is still too young to discuss whether it is a failure or a success. What is certain is that the title of promising player has an expiration date. Every year, 10 to 11 younger players join the team. The expectations and spotlight they received naturally flow to the young players. 스포츠토토
This year, in a situation where the team has the justification to make the top 5 or higher, it is impossible to push the opportunity simply because it is a promising player. Ahead of this season, they spent a lot of money on the free agent (FA) market, but when they come out of the egg, the true start of Lotte’s run.