My younger brother has now become a young player representing the league. His older brother was overshadowed by his younger brother’s talents and had no opportunity to show himself.
But his baseball family’s DNA didn’t go anywhere. Lotte Joo-chan Lee (26) received a ticket to the first team’s spring camp and took the opportunity to appeal.
Lotte will hold a spring camp starting February 1st in Guam, a U.S. territory, and Okinawa, Japan. 카지노사이트랭크
As the start of spring camp approaches, the participation list is being finalized. It is expected that the team will consist of about 40 players,
including foreign players. Joo-chan Lee’s name was surprisingly included in this list.
Joo-chan Lee graduated from Gyeongnam High School and Dongeui University and joined Lotte as a training player in 2021.
And this year, he even achieved his dream of making his thrilling first-team debut. In the first team,
he went 0-for-7 with 5 strikeouts in 8 at-bats in 3 games before moving down to the second team.
In 87 games in the second team, he had a batting average of .207, 2 ri (73 hits in 268 at-bats), 1 home run, 22 RBI, 14 stolen bases, and an OPS of .738.
After completing his debut season, Lee Joo-chan resolved his military issues by immediately enlisting in active duty on November 30, 2021.
He was a coastal guard belonging to the 31st Division based in Gwangju, South Jeolla Province.
He was discharged on May 29 last year while protecting Haenam, a village at the end of the earth.
After his discharge from the military, Lee Joo-chan regained his sense of the game relatively quickly. Above all, he made strides in attack.
In 42 games, he recorded a batting average of .301 (34 hits in 113 at-bats, 3 home runs, 18 RBIs, 5 stolen bases, and an OPS of .843.)
Before enlisting in the military, he was evaluated as a ‘player whose defense is stronger than his batting’, and he developed his batting skills. I ordered it and came back.
Records revealed that the period of military service was not meaningless. However, his realistic training conditions were poor. He said, “It is difficult to do batting training or defensive training.
However, since I was working at a coastal outpost, there was no parade ground. “
I only did weight training, and I had a friend who quit playing baseball, so I was only able to play catch with him,” he explained.
However, as a result of weight training, my power increased. His body, which weighed about 85 kg, increased to 95 kg along with muscle.
Currently, my weight is maintained in the high 80kg to low 90kg range. He felt a lot about himself and gained more power when hitting the ball. Confidence came naturally to him.
He said, “There was a dullness in my practical sense and quickness. However, he said, “I came back with a lot of strength because I did a lot of weight training,” and “I gained a lot of confidence in my hitting after being discharged from the military.”
The 1st team coaching staff, including coach Kim Tae-hyung, who watched the results in the 2nd team and the 2nd team finishing camp, called Joo-chan Lee to the 1st team at the end of the finishing camp.
Manager Kim Tae-hyung said at the time, “The defense is stable and the bat seems to have power. “He has a lot of good points in terms of hardware,” he said.
Based on this evaluation, Lee Joo-chan eventually took the opportunity to show his talent in earnest in Guam, where the first team spring camp was held.
Joo-chan Lee said, “I couldn’t participate in the first team finishing camp, but I went to the last minute and trained for about two weeks.
The manager and coach said kindly that it would be good for me to do offense and defense with confidence,”
he said with a shy smile, adding, “Actually, I don’t think I did well or stood out during the closing camp.
This is Joo-chan Lee’s first participation in spring camp as a member of the first team.
In the end, the coaching staff saw Lee Joo-chan’s strengths and talent, so he participated in the first team spring camp.
He said, “If you are in the second team, you actually become a lot dull and disappointed,” and “But I will work hard and try to get to the first team. He thought that if he prepared willingly
he might have an opportunity. It’s both nerve-wracking and exciting. He said emphatically, “I want to see and learn a lot while working out with my seniors.”
Joo-chan Lee’s younger brother, who is three years older than him, is Lee Joo-hyung (23), who has shown his skills since being traded from LG to Kiwoom last year.
His younger brother received more attention than his older brother since his amateur days. Lee Joo-chan was a foster player in college
but Lee Joo-hyung was a prospect who was drafted in the second round of the 2020 rookie draft.
Lee Joo-hyung was traded to Kiwoom in the second half of last year and played very well in 69 games with a batting average of .326 (70 hits in 215 at-bats), 6 home runs, 36 RBIs, and an OPS of .897.
Since his amateur days, he has been called a ‘batting genius’ and is finally showing off his potential. His younger brother Lee Joo-hyung
who started playing baseball after watching his older brother Lee Joo-chan
has now become a representative player among the league’s young hitters and the right person to fill the void left by Lee Jeong-hoo, who left for the San Francisco Giants in the major league.
Joo-chan Lee said, “His younger brother studied hitting a lot since he was young, so he has a lot of knowledge. Now I ask more questions about hitting.
When I was young, I needed it and didn’t think about it, but now I realize it,” he said. “My younger brother has his own, and I’m not sure yet. Now my younger brother has more experience.
When I meet my younger brother, we almost always talk about baseball. Still, I think we are closer than the other brothers.
We communicate well,” he said with a smile. Upon hearing the news of Joo-chan Lee’s participation in the first team spring camp, his younger brother bluntly said, “Do well.”
Now it is the older brother Lee Joo-chan’s turn. Lee Joo-chan said, “Originally, the older brother does well and the younger brother follows, but for us, the younger brother did well first.
He added, “I’m not jealous. It’s good that my younger brother is doing well, and now I just have to do well.
I think I become more assertive with the mindset of ‘If you do it, I’ll do it too,’” he emphasized.
He used to not believe in himself, but now he believes in his own abilities. Joo-chan Lee said, “Coach Byeong-gyu Lee always asked me in the second team
Why do you underestimate yourself? He says, ‘Do it with confidence.’ During that time, when I played baseball, my self-esteem dropped a lot and I felt discouraged.
I thought a lot that it wouldn’t work,” he said. “But as I continued to listen to Coach Byeong-gyu’s words
I am now confident and determined to do whatever I want. “Now I have a lot of thoughts that I can do it,” he said.
Lee Joo-chan now competes on the same level as other seniors in spring camp. The starting second baseman position of Ahn Chi-hong
who left for Hanwha, is also vacant. Existing first-team players such as Park Seung-wook, Ko Seung-min, Oh Seon-jin
Choi Hang, and Jeong Dae-seon may have the upper hand, but Joo-chan Lee also took the opportunity to appeal himself in the competition.
He said, “I think I’m really confident in my defense, including my throw. “I think I will be able to do better if I do everything coach Kim Min-ho tells me to do,”
he said. “Also, my strength has improved, so I want to show that I have good strength during practice and in actual games.
I want to hit aggressively and boldly and let people know that ‘this guy is a strong player,’” he expressed his bold ambition.