There are a lot of catchers, but the first round of catchers? Lee Yul-Ye-Picked SSG, How to Organize Traffic
Sep 11, 2024
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SSG selected Lee Yul-ye as the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2025 KBO Rookie Draft held on the 11th. He is a catcher who has been recognized for his skills since his second year of high school to the extent that he has been selected as the youth national team. Following last year, he was selected for the under-18 national team this year and even served as a captain.
Early on, the nomination of the top round seemed likely. He was also considered the biggest catcher. However, it is also true that SSG nominated it a little earlier than expected. This year's rookie draft has been evaluated as a year with many good pitching resources in addition to Deoksu Chung Hyeon-woo (nominated by Keum) and Jeonju Chung Woo-joo (nominated by Hanwha). But SSG's choice was catcher. SSG also selected infielder Park Ji-hwan in the first round of the rookie draft last year. For the second consecutive year, he was the first to pick the fielder.
The biggest reason SSG chose Lee Yul-ye, not other pitching resources, is that it is the best catcher resource. Lee Yul-ye's greatest strength is his strong shoulders. Not only is the shoulder good, but the pop time from catching the ball, taking it out, and throwing it on the base is incredibly fast. Analysts say that he is already more than a professional player in this regard.
In modern baseball, where the official introduction of the pitch clock from next year makes 'running baseball' increasingly important, it was inevitable to choose a catcher resource that was born with the ability to stop stealing at the top.
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It's still a question mark when it comes to hitting. He has a sense of hitting, but there is still an evaluation that he needs to correct his swing. If Lee Yul-ye comes to the professional league and quickly finds his swing while adapting to the balls of first-team pitchers, his worries about offense can also be solved. How fast you learn is the key after joining the team.
However, SSG's catcher's traffic arrangement is necessary. It is not easy for a rookie catcher to become the main player in the first division right away. The catcher is the position that takes the most time to raise a prospect. I don't know how quickly Lee Yul-ye will show his own and take his chance yet, but even so, SSG has a lot of catcher resources.
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For now, Cho Hyung-woo will discuss the military enlistment issue with the club again. It is calculated that after quickly resolving military service obligations, they grow by gaining experience in the first team again. In the case of Lee Ji-young and Kim Min-sik, as they are in their mid-to-late 30s, they are planning to create a new centerline axis centered on Lee Yul-ye and the rest of the promising catchers.
"There is no shortage of catcher resources, but Lee Yul-ye still has a natural talent that cannot be missed." is the club's explanation. Jihoon Choi, Park Sung-han, Park Ji-hwan, Jung Joon-jae, and Lee Yul-ye. SSG is designing a new center line with key fielders who have completed verification in the first team.
youll@sportschosun.com
