5.9 Billion FA Duo + Released Transfer Players Joined...Lotte Futures 25 Goes to Taiwan
Feb 09, 2025
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Lotte will start the 2025 season Futures Spring Camp for 25 days from the 11th to the 7th of next month. Like the first-team spring camp, we will hold a business agreement with Taiwan's Tainan City and conduct training at the Tainan Asia-Pacific International Baseball Center.
The camp will be attended by 10 coaches, including Futures manager Kim Yong-hee, 12 pitchers, 3 catchers, 6 infielders and 4 outfielders.
The infielders were Kim Min-sung, Roh Jin-hyuk, Lee Joo-chan, Kim Dong-gyu, Kim Se-min, and Lee Tae-kyung. Kim Min-sung and Roh Jin-hyuk are veterans recruited by Lotte as outside FA. Considering the amount invested by Lotte, they are players who should not go to Futures Spring Camp, but they were coldly pushed out of the competition with their juniors in the aftermath of a sluggish season. As the players are in their late 30s, there will be consideration to build their bodies slowly, but it is difficult to say that it is a positive situation in the main competition.
Kim Min-sung signed a 2+1 year total of 900 million won when he moved from the LG Twins to Lotte in a sign-and-trade in January last year. The guarantee contract period is until this year. Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung initially envisioned Kim Min-sung as a second baseman, but left the third baseman because Han Dong-hee was injured ahead of the opening, which was less than expected due to sluggishness and injuries. He hit .200 (14 hits in 70 at-bats) with two home runs, eight RBIs and an OPS of 0.678 in 35 games. In the meantime, Lotte matched the final infield puzzle by acquiring Son Ho-young in a trade with LG, and Kim Min-sung lost his place more and more.
Noh Jin-hyuk became an FA ahead of the 2023 season and signed a four-year, 5 billion won contract with Lotte. It was expected to be a shortstop who will be at the center of Lotte's center line, but it has not produced any results at all. Last year, when head coach Kim took office, he was completely pushed out of the starting lineup, playing only 73 games and 157 at-bats. In order for Lotte to recover even a little of its investment, Roh Jin-hyuk's rebound is urgent, raising questions about whether it will be able to escape from its batting average and single-digit home runs in the early 20% range this year.
Twelve pitchers, including Park Si-young, Hyun Do-hoon, Park Jin-hyung, Shim Jae-min, Kim Kang-hyun, recruitment rate, Jung Woo-joon, Hong Min-ki, Bae Se-jong, Jeong Seon-woo, Kim Hyun-woo, and Lee Young-jae, got the opportunity.
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Park Jin-hyung and Shim Jae-min have been quite active in the first team, but have recently shown poor performance. The two players, who were born in 1994, are expected to do their best to prove their value again with the aim of surviving the first team.
Son Sung-bin, Um Jang-yoon, and Kang Seung-gu will participate in the catcher. Son Sung-bin, who was the first nominee in 2021, is the next homeowner that Lotte is looking forward to. Son Sung-bin took the place of Yoo Kang-nam, who was placed on the operating table due to a knee injury last year, and gained an opportunity to gain experience by playing in 86 games. Son Sung-bin did not join the first-team spring camp immediately after undergoing surgery for a wrist injury in October last year, but he is also a promising prospect this year if he fully recovers his health.
Four outfielders, Shin Yoon-hoo, Kim Dong-hyuk, Kim Dong-hyun, and Han Seung-hyun, were on board.
Regarding the Futures Spring Camp, Lotte said, `The team plans to hold nine practice matches with Taiwanese professional teams, including the Taigang Hawks, the Fubang Guardians, the Wei Quan Dragons, the Rakuten Monkeys and the Tung Lions, to enhance their sense of practice after intense physical and technical training.'
Futures coach Kim Yong-hee said, `I heard Taiwan's Tainan training site is good enough compared to other training sites"I will prepare well for the Futures team and help the club achieve good results in the 2025 season." he said.
Meanwhile, the team will return to Korea on the 7th of next month, play a practice game at Sangdong Baseball Stadium, and begin its Futures League schedule.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
