| From left are Nexen Heroes' pitcher Choi Won-tae, Heroes' outfielder Lee Jeong-hoo, KT Wiz infielder Hwang Jae-kyun and Samsung Lions' bullpen pitcher Jang Pill-joon. / Yonhap |
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Nexen Heroes' outfielder Lee Jeong-hoo got a second chance to represent South Korea at the 2018 Jakarta Palembang Asian Games.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced on Monday that Lee and three other players will replace four injured players who had made it onto the initial roster for the national baseball team on July 12.
The three new players are Samsung Lions bullpen pitcher Jang Pill-joon, Heroes starting pitcher Choi Won-tae, and KT Wiz slugger Hwang Jae-kyun.
Sun Dong-yeol, manager of the national baseball team, said he has worked closely with trainers and baseball clubs before he decided to replace the four players.
“We've been checking closely the health of the 24 players on the roster as well as substitute players and talked with trainers as the Asian Games are approaching,” he said. “We've heard that four players, including Cha Woo-chan of the LG Twins, had injuries. So we decided to reshuffle the roster. We looked at the heath of players as well as their performances in the KBO League this season to select the best four.”
The four new players on the roster are enjoying strong seasons this year.
Lee, who won the Rookie of the Year Award last year, successfully broke the “second-year curse” for high-performing athletes.
He is atop the batting averages with a .369, followed by Doosan Bears catcher Yang Eui-ji, the 2016 Korean Series MVP.
Lee's batting paved the way for media speculation that he could follow in his father's footsteps. Lee is a second-generation player, the son of baseball legend Lee Jong-beom, the former Kia Tigers outfielder and Korean Series MVP in the 1990s. The senior Lee became a KBO batting champion in his second year.
Like his father, the junior Lee may become the batting champion this year if he maintains his pace.
In the 80 games he's played this season, the junior Lee produced five home runs with 43 RBIs and 61 runs. He missed over 30 games due to calf and shoulder injuries.
After returning to the KBO League on July 19 from rehabilitation, Lee has shown stronger performances than before. During the past 21 games, Lee's batting average is .467 with one home run, 16 RBIs, 21 runs and four stolen bases.
Lions pitcher Jang, 30, has pitched 50 innings in 46 games this season. He has a 4-3 win-loss record with six saves, nine holds and a 3.78 ERA.
His pitching has been at his strongest since July. In the 17 games he has pitched, Jang has two wins with one defeat and a 1.96 ERA.
He and KT Wiz infielder Hwang are returnees to the KBO League. Hwang played for the San Francisco Giants and a minor league team for a year before joining the Suwon-based club this year.
Jang is a late bloomer in the KBO League. He was one of the top three high school pitchers and his future looked promising. But his career as a professional didn't go so well.
After graduating from high school, the Hanwha Eagles drafted him, but he failed to sign a deal as he was not satisfied with the money the Eagles were offering. Jang went into the military, instead of joining the KBO League.
After being released from his mandatory military service, Jang signed a minor league contract with the LA Angels.
His life in the U.S. minor league didn't go well either. Although in Korea he was regarded as a star pitcher with great potential, his performance with the U.S. triple A team was mediocre.
After he was released, he was looking for a chance to play in the KBO League. But a KBO rule prohibiting players who signed deals with foreign leagues from joining the local league stood in the way.
Jang waited for two years before he became eligible to play in the KBO League. In that time, he played for an independent baseball team in Australia.
After the 2014 season, the Lions offered him a deal which he accepted.
His past has trained him to become a stronger pitcher. Joining the KBO League nine years after his peers, Jang proved himself an asset for the Lions. His 150km/h fastball is powerful enough to strike out players of opposing teams, keeping his team within the top six teams in the KBO League this season.
Heroes starter Choi Won-tae, 21, is enjoying a prolific season. He pitched in 22 games and has a 13-7 win-loss record with a 3.97 ERA. He is ranked third in the win-loss record in the league and regarded as the best righty.