I plan to give both pitchers and hitters a chance. I look forward to their future growth.”
‘Jeon Tani’ Jeon Mir (Gyeongbuk High School) eventually fell into the arms of the Lotte Giants.
Lotte selected Jeon Mir in the first round of the KBO League rookie draft held on the 14th. Lotte General Manager Sung Min-gyu attracted attention by calling Jeon Mir’s position as ‘pitcher and hitter’ at the time of nomination.
Jeon Mir is the hero who gave Gyeongbuk High School its first Blue Dragon championship in 30 years this year. He performed well as both a pitcher and a hitter. In particular, he immediately raised his stock by allowing 2 runs in 7⅓ innings in the round of 16 against Deoksu High School and pitching no hits in 7⅔ innings without allowing any runs in the quarterfinals against Gangneung High School.
In accordance with AMA Baseball’s pitch count regulations, he was unable to appear as a pitcher in the semifinals and finals. However, even in the final against Water Safe, he showed off his presence, literally taking charge of the team’s fate, by hitting the first two RBIs and hitting at the right time.
Of course, the Blue Dragon MVP award went to Jeon Mir. Jeon Mir’s name ‘Mir’ is even more meaningful in that it means dragon in pure Korean.
He is 1m88 tall and has a muscular physique. As a pitcher, he uses a fastball over 150km and a slider over 130km. His tireless stamina, which matches his business-like physique, is considered his greatest strength. As a batter, he is a player who stands out with an intense power swing like Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha) and Park Dong-won (LG).
On-site scouts’ evaluations are focused on pitchers rather than hitters. He has a speed of over 150 km and a heavy pitch, and as a pitcher, he can be used as a bullpen relatively quickly, but as a hitter, it is said that he needs time to improve. However, if trained over time, there is a high possibility of him becoming a slugger.
Lotte hitting coach Park Heung-sik previously coached Gyeongbuk High School players as an instructor. On this day, when we met at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, Coach Park recalled, “I knew Gyeongbuk High School would do well this year. It was a team with many good talents.”
In addition to Jeon Mir, Gyeongbuk High School also received pro nominations from Lim Jong-seong (Doosan 3rd round), Kim Se-hoon (Hanwha → NC 7th round), and Kim Jun-won (NC 10th round).
Coach Park predicted, “Jeon Mir is strong and has outstanding talent. He was not a tall player to begin with, but now he has a solid physique. However, he will need time to adapt to the professional world.” He added that although he grew up in a wealthy family, he is a player who stands out for his strong sense of responsibility, strong competitive spirit, and tenacity.
He continued, “At this point, Lim Jong-seong is a really good player. Doosan did a good job recruiting him,” and added, “Kim Se-hoon and Kim Jun-won are also players with good fundamentals.”
However, another baseball official who met at the scene that day said, “Jeon Mir has a 150km fastball and a good breaking ball. He will need time as a hitter, but if the bullpen is the standard, I think he can play in the first team next year right away.” This is an opportunity for Lotte to provide Jeon Mir with ample opportunities in both pitches and develop him in the long term.
In addition to Jeon Mir, Lotte has the ‘strongest baseball’ pitcher Jeong Hyun-soo (Songwon University), infielder Lee Ho-jun (Daegu Sangwon High School), pitcher Park Jun-woo (Yushin High School), infielder Kang Seong-woo (Cheong High School), pitcher Park Seong-jun (Whimoon High School), outfielder Lee Seon-woo (Deoksu High School), infielder Ahn Woo-jin (Whimoon High School), and outfielder So. Hanbin (Seoul High School), pitcher Jeon Ha-won (Seoul Automobile High School), and outfielder Yoo Je-mo (Dongeui Science University) were each selected.토토사이트
In particular, the player that fans are paying attention to is second-rounder Jeong Hyun-soo. A club official said, “The first to third rounds are originally to select players with immediate power or potential that cannot be overlooked. Hyun-soo Jeong is a left-handed pitcher who can be used as a bullpen next year.”
What do Lotte acting manager Lee Jong-woon think? He simply replied, “I watched some TV earlier, but honestly, I don’t know much. I don’t have time to watch a rookie right now. They probably picked a good player.”