According to an official familiar with SSG’s internal situation, Lee Jae-won recently directly asked the club to release him. SSG selected two catchers through the second draft on the 22nd. 토토사이트 Park Dae-on, who played for the NC Dinos, and Shin Bum-soo, who was in the KIA Tigers, were named. It is the team’s choice that judged that the catcher’s resources were insufficient.
SSG also has a power drain. Veteran infielder Choi Joo-hwan, infielder Choi Hang and pitcher Cho Sung-hoon will leave the team. Choi Joo-hwan and Cho Sung-hoon head to the Kiwoom Heroes, and Choi Hang to the Lotte Giants. Kim Kang-min, who will turn 42 next year, was nominated by the Hanwha Eagles. He is at an age that would not be strange even if he decides to retire immediately. The SSG club did not tie Kim Kang-min to a 35-member protected player, believing that no club would pick him.
Lee Jae-won was also not included in the 35-member protection team. Prior to the second draft, Lee Jae-won decided hard to leave the friendly team for 18 years to find a new team with the will to extend his active duty. He judged that there was no place for himself in the club situation.
SSG said it would meet Lee Jae-won and catcher Lee Heung-ryeon separately to talk after the second draft. But things haven’t changed. Lee Jae-won met with Kim Sung-yong, the general manager, on the afternoon of the 23rd and once again conveyed his intention. The club also decided to respect Lee Jae-won’s will.
Lee Jae-won, a graduate of Incheon High School, entered the professional stage in 2006 after receiving the designation of SK, the predecessor of SSG. It was the first nomination at the time. Both batting and defense were considered the best catcher among high school players. He had a lot of expectations, and he recorded a batting average of 313 and four RBIs in 23 games in his first year as a rookie. The following year, he began to show his presence with a batting average of 333 with three homers and 21 RBIs in 66 games.
In 2007 and 2008, SK won the Korean Series following the regular season. Lee Jae-won was a leading figure during the SK Dynasty. Lee Jae-won got a chance in the first division, even though there was no time to squeeze in because there were key catchers such as Park Kyung-wan and Jung Sang-ho. That’s how much his skills were recognized.
In 2009, SK lost to KIA in the Korean Series, but in 2010, it won the Korean Series again following the regular season. Lee Jae-won hit 344 in 24 games in 2009 and 257 in 54 games in 2010.
Lee Jae-won has been the main catcher since 2014. He performed well with a batting average of 337 with 12 home runs and 83 RBIs in 120 games that year. He drew attention as an offensive catcher, but he also built the trust of his fellow pitchers with a stable pitcher lead.
He peaked in 140 games in 2015 with a batting average of 282 with 17 home runs and 100 RBIs. In the 2018 season, he captained the team and led the team well as the main catcher to win the Korean Series. After winning in 2018, Lee Jae-won became an FA and signed a four-year 6.9 billion won stamp. In the first year after signing the FA contract, in 2019, he was good with a batting average of 268 with 12 home runs and 75 RBIs in 139 games.
Since then, however, it has shown a downward trend. Long hit productivity has fallen. Still, he seemed to rebound to a batting average of 280 in 107 games in 2021. However, he suffered ups and downs in the 2022 season. Lee Jae-won received his second FA qualification from the end of the 2022 season, but did not apply. The same was true this year.
I was desperate and wanted to focus only on baseball. I had a hard time in my heart. be still motivated. Pitcher leads are at the highest level. Retired Jung Young-il and Kim Tae-hoon said, “Lee Jae-won is the best catcher. It really allows pitchers to throw comfortably. And it is said that the throwing is weak, because the pitchers’ tempo is slow. It’s not just Jaewon’s problem,” he said.
He has leadership and the skills he needs to have as a catcher are strong. He has so much experience. He is at least recognized by his fellow players.
