Which team will be the first to clear the gap of veteran players?
SSG Landers and Samsung Lions are teams that are expected to weaken due to the transfer of veteran players after the 2022 season. However, with the emergence of young players with potential, it is also a team that is expected to return as a chance soon.
If there are players with potential in both teams, it is definitely SSG Baek Seung-gun (22, pitcher) and Samsung Lee Jae-hyeon (20, shortstop). These are players with heavier shoulders than other young players this season. The two shed a lot of sweat in the spring camp, and there was only one thing left to prove their skills in the real battle.
▶ ‘Redemption ↑’ Baek Seung-gun, left-handed bullpen
Baek Seung-gun is a left-handed pitcher who joined the 2019 SK 1st nomination. Baek Seung-gun, who got a chance as soon as he joined, showed good performance with 16 hits, 1 home run, 14 strikeouts, 5 earned runs and ERA (ERA) of 2.33 in 19⅓ innings of 15 games in the 2019 season. However, he was sluggish with 37 hits, 7 homers, 28 strikeouts, 26 earned runs, and an ERA of 7.98 in 29⅓ innings in 10 games in the 2020 season.
Baek Seung-gun chose to enlist in 2021 and passed the Sangmu Phoenix baseball team. He appeared in 12 games (1 hold) at Sangmu, posting 14 hits, 1 home run, 9 strikeouts, 5 earned runs, and an ERA of 3.46 in 13 innings. In the 2022 season, he made relief appearances for Sangmu and SSG Futures. He played 40 innings in 41 games (4 wins, 3 losses, 6 holds), leaving 8 hits, 4 home runs, 41 strikeouts, 20 earned runs, and an ERA of 4.50.
However, Baek Seung-gun was evaluated as having a stable pitching form, and joined the 2023 SSG Spring Camp. Baek Seung-gun received a lot of attention from SSG coach Kim Won-hyung with confident pitching and a speed increase of up to 145 km/h. There is a possibility to fill the void created by the enlistment of left-handed bullpen Kim Taek-hyung last year. 토토사이트
Manager Kim Won-hyung said, “We will give young pitchers a chance to start in the bullpen in the demonstration game and use them this season according to their skills.”
As such, the upcoming demonstration game for Baek Seung-gun has become very important. He is expected to decide whether to join the 1st team in the 2023 season depending on what kind of performance he shows.
▶ The future of Samsung, ‘Baby Lion’ Lee Jae-hyun
Lee Jae-hyun is a right-handed infielder who received the 2022 Samsung 1st nomination. A graduate of Seoul High School, Lee Jae-hyeon was recognized for his defense and long hitting power from his high school days. His high threes were 0.373 batting average (31 hits, 1 home run, 21 RBIs in 83 at-bats) in 22 appearances. His high school career OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) was 0.900, showing excellent batting ability.
Lee Jae-hyun, who made his debut in the first team immediately after joining the team, played as a shortstop and gained practical experience. He received the most chances among shortstop players on the team, and played in 75 games in the 2022 season, posting a batting average of 0.235 (54 hits in 239, 7 homers and 23 RBIs) and an OPS of 0.597.
Despite being a rookie, Lee Jae-hyun played 380⅓ innings, and his contact rate was 79.8%, higher than the league average (78.4%). He suffered growing pains by committing 11 errors, but gradually showed stable defense in the second half. He also boasted slugging power, hitting 7 home runs.