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| 롯데 이민석. Sports Chosun DB |
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| 롯데 정현수. Sports Chosun DB |
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| photo courtesy of Lotte Giants |
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I've already received the head coach's impression. In recognition of his talent, he was also guided by the Brothers Club.
All that's left is to spread your wings. Lee Min-seok (21) and Jung Hyun-soo (23), who are drawing the most attention among Lotte Giants rookie pitchers, are the main characters.
Lee Min-seok and Chung Hyun-soo were dispatched to the Chiba Lotte Marines' first-team closing camp after the regular season this year. It was a whopping three weeks of training. The move comes as Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin promised to promote friendship and exchange with Chiba Lotte under the leadership of the two teams during the Okinawa spring camp.
It is the first time in five years that a Lotte team player has been dispatched to Chiba Lotte since Yoon Sung-bin in May 2019. Lotte Club expects to acquire top league training programs and routines" made a statement. It is rumored that Lee Min-seok and Chung Hyun-soo expressed surprise and satisfaction with Chiba Lotte's training, which is different from the basics.
It is a period of warming up ahead of Taiwan's spring camp on January 24th. It was a year full of regrets for Lee Min-seok and Chung Hyun-soo in many ways.
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| 롯데 이민석. Sports Chosun DB |
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Lee Min-seok joined Lotte with the first nomination in 2022. The biggest strength is the monster fastball of up to 155km, which is emitted from a confident physique of 1m89 and 95kg.
It was considered an advantage that his arms were healthy because he did not pitch much during Kaesong High School, but on April 1 last year, he suffered an elbow injury during the pitch of Jamsil's opening game against the Doosan Bears and underwent Tommy John surgery (reconstruction of internal ligaments in the elbow).
Lee Min-seok, who overcame long rehabilitation, took the starting test in recognition of his ball power. There was a day when he threw well like the NC Dinos game (one run in five innings) on June 1, but he moved to the bullpen with disappointment in the next two appearances.
He also failed to show an impressive performance in the bullpen, and eventually finished the season with a 7.26 ERA with 2 losses and 1 hold in 31 innings in 18 games (starting 5). Overall, it was a disappointing season compared to the shocking debut season for both control and speed. Young-gun is still young, and he went through an ordeal of experiencing surgery after joining the professional team. Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung made an impression that he is certain about his fastball pitching.
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| photo courtesy of Lotte Giants |
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After impressing baseball fans in advance with the `strongest baseball,' Chung Hyun-soo wore a Lotte uniform as the second round (13th overall) of this year's rookie players. Although his physique is rather small, he was praised for his good pitching and breaking ball.
At the beginning of the season, he got a first-team bullpen opportunity on April 11, but was replaced after giving up a straight walk without catching a single out count. Since then, he has appeared in the first team from time to time, and has shown good performance little by little since mid-August. In particular, he pitched his life against Kiwoom on August 18 (three ⅓ scoreless innings) and Kiwoom on August 30 (five scoreless innings).
Since then, he has moved to the bullpen. He showed good performance from time to time, especially as a starter or bullpen long man, not a one-point relief.
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| photo courtesy of Lotte Giants |
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Coach Kim Tae-hyung's plan to start the next season is expected to be revealed only during the spring camp. First of all, it is highly likely that Kim Jin-wook and Na Kyun-an will receive the opportunity to select first, focusing on the first to third starters of Barnes, Davidson and Park Se-woong.
On top of that, veteran Han Hyun-hee, Lee Min-seok, Chung Hyun-soo, and Park Jin are expected to compete for the fifth starter. However, the bullpen is also in limbo except for Koo Seung-min and Kim Won-joong. The key is whether Choi Joon-yong, who finished shoulder surgery, or Jung Chul-won, who has been transferred, will join the must-win group, or Lee Min-seok or Chung Hyun-soo will go in instead of them.
The club's heart for Lee Min-seok and Chung Hyun-soo was proved through Chiba Lotte training. All that's left is to show. The two players' performances are essential for Lotte's first advance to autumn baseball since 2017.
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| photo courtesy of Lotte Giants |
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