Lee Hak-ju, who was once known as a shortstop genius, could not avoid the harsh wind of liberation.
The Lotte Giants announced on the 5th, “Through interviews, we have decided to release four players, including infielders Lee Hak-ju and Oh Sun-jin, and pitchers Lee In-bok and Lim Jun-seop.
Lee Hak-ju’s name stands out. He was called up by the Chicago Cubs through an international free agent in 2008, and after playing for the Tampa Bay Rays, the San Francisco Giants minor league team, and the Japanese independent league, he was selected by the Samsung Lions as the second overall pick. in the second first round in 2019. He is a right-handed hitting infield pitcher. In 486 KBO games through this year, he recorded a 0.233 batting average (276 hits in 1,183 at-bats), 23 home runs, 116 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.645.
Lee Hak-ju released from Lotte. Photo = Reporter Cheon Jeong-hwan
news/cms/202411/05/news-p.v1.20241105.fb6600209c104bf19683ba3aea2a7ee8_R.jpg" data-width="510" data-height="595"/> enlarge picture Will Lee Hak-ju be able to find a new team quickly? Photo = Narrator Kim Jae-hyun
Lee Hak-ju, who joined Lotte via trade ahead of the 2022 season, had a .207 batting average (48 hits in 232 at-bats), 3 home runs, and 15 RBIs in 91 games that year. He then held a 0.209 batting average (23 hits in 110 at-bats), 3 home runs, and 13 RBI in 104 games in the 2023 season.
After that, Lee Hak-ju posted a batting average of 0.263 (25 hits in 95 at-bats) with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs in 43 games this season, but he didn’t get many opportunities. With Park Seung-wook established as the starting shortstop, his position was no longer available at Lotte. In this way, Lee Hak-ju was unable to escape from the harsh winds of release.
Meanwhile, Lotte hired former SSG Landers coach Cho Won-woo on the same day. Head coach Cho Won-woo, who joined the Ssangbangwool Raiders in 1994, began his role as the Hanwha Eagles’ defense coach in 2009. Head coach Cho Won-woo, recognized for his coaching ability outdoor protection, control of Lotte from 2016 to 2018.
Head coach Cho Won-woo said, “I would like to thank the SSG team for allowing me to leave good memories in the past four years, and said, “This is my third time wearing a uniform Lotte. I will help coach Kim Tae-hyung well so that Lotte can achieve good results. Lotte has many young and promising players. “Based on my previous experience, I will do my best to help the players grow to the next level,” he said.
In addition, Lotte hired new coaches Jaeyoung Jang and Youngjun Lee as Futures training coaches. They have strengths in understanding players and communication skills based on 20 years of training experience and experience as head of a hospital sports medicine centre.
news/cms/202411/05/news-p.v1.20241105.e65a93a0c6a64002b9c1a8f6eed2586f_R.jpg" data-width="510" data-height="620"/> enlarge picture Wonwoo Cho, head coach at the time, was in charge of Lotte. Photo = Narrator Kim Jae-hyun
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2024-11-05 09:40:00
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