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| Lotte's only No. 1 pick in the 2020s, Kim Jin-wook. Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com |
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| Dusan-LG match held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 7th. Kim Min-seok is happy after hitting an infield hit in the top of the sixth inning with no outs and runners on the first and second bases. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.8.7/ |
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| The game between KIA and Lotte at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 25th. Hong Min-ki, who stopped the eighth inning without losing a point, is smiling. Busan = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.25/ |
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This is the fourth time this year. Each time a top prospect heads to the U.S., Lotte Giants' concerns deepen.
The 2026 KBO Rookie Draft will be held on the 17th. As the draft date approaches, baseball fans' interest in major players is growing day by day.
However, Lotte competes for the fall baseball every year in the 2020s I repeatedly slipped at the last minute. As a result, I haven't been to the fall stage since the 2017 semi-playoff, and Lotte's position was always the third to fourth except in 2021 (the second overall).
On top of that, the players who were aiming for Lotte's turn repeatedly escaped and swallowed the disappointment as the players who were advancing to the U.S. overlapped.
Hong Min-ki, who was the No. 4 pick in the first round of 2020, has been showing his performance that meets expectations little by little this year, but it is still unfortunate in many ways.
This is why it is especially upsetting that Kim Jin-wook, who was selected as the No. 1 pick in 2021, has not grown as much as expected.He got Na Seung-yeop in the second round of that year, but if it was in the third to fifth order, he might have appointed Kim Joo-won (NC Dinos) or Lee Young-bin (LG Twins) to fill the shortstop's weakness.
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| Kim Joo-won is considered a leading candidate for shortstop Golden Glove this year. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.08.14/ |
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In 2023, Shim Joon-seok chose to go to the U.S., missing a chance to catch one of Kim Seo-hyun (Hanwha Eagles) and Yoon Young-chul (KIA Tigers). Lotte's choice of Kim Min-seok did not meet expectations, but he seems to have made up for it by recruiting Jung Chul-won and Jeon Min-jae through a trade involving Kim Min-seok.
In 2024, Hwang Joon-seo (Hanwha) and Kim Taek-yeon (Doosan Bears) were selected in front of them as the biggest fish Jang Hyun-seok (LA Dodgers) and Lee Chan-sol (Boston Red Sox) went to the U.S. Jeon Mir's growth, chosen by Lotte as the No. 3 pick, should be watched after the discharge of the Armed Forces Sports Unit (Sangju), but Lotte's ranking may have changed slightly last year and this year if Kim Taek-yeon was in Lotte's bullpen.
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| Jang Hyun-seok even solved the military problem thanks to being selected for the Hangzhou Asian Games national team. Sports Chosun DB |
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Last year, when he held the No. 4 pick in his hand, Chung Hyun-woo (Kium Heroes), Jung Woo-joo (Hanwha) and Bae Chan-seung (Samsung Lions) were nominated in front of him. In particular, pick 1 to 5 was the year that officials expected.
Kim Tae-hyun, picked by Lotte, is also expected to grow into a starting pitcher in the future, but his presence is still weak compared to the previous three players. In particular, Jung Woo-joo and Bae Chan-seung's bullpen presence is also a desperate part for Lotte of the year.
Lotte's order is the fourth this year as well. As Kim Sung-joon (Gwangju Il High School) and Seo Moon-joon (Jang Chung High School) have already chosen to go to the U.S., Kiwoom's No. 1 pick is certain to be named Park Joon-hyun (Buk Il High School).
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| Park Jun-hyun Yang Woo-jin of Gyeonggi Aviation High School, who is considered the next pitcher. Sports Chosun DB |
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However, from Pick 2, unlike previous years, it is evaluated as the Warring States Period. Pitchers such as Yang Woo-jin of Gyeonggi Air High School, Park Ji-hoon of Jeonju High School, and Kim Min-joon of Daegu High School, and infielders such as Ahn Ji-won of Busan High School and Park Han-gyeol of Jeonju High School are mentioned as candidates for the top pick. In particular, it became more difficult to predict Yang Woo-jin, who was evaluated as next to Park Joon-hyun, as the fatigue fracture issue occurred.
A Lotte official said, `We are in a position to watch the draft flow of the previous teams and see who comes down. The fielders are also widely observed, but the focus is basically on the pitcher side"There are many good players, but as Kim Sung-joon and Seo Moon-joon were eliminated from the draft, for now, except for Park Joon-hyun, we have to select unconditionally."' I don't think there's an absolute player I want to play."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
