Why did KT Wiz try to acquire an infielder while giving away a left-handed pitcher that could be used as an immediate sense of power?
On the 19th, KT made a sudden trade ahead of the Suwon Doosan match. In his resignation, he agreed to a one-on-one trade in favor of left-handed pitcher Shim Jae-min (29) and infielder Lee Ho-yeon (28) in exchange for Lotte ahead of the SSG match. In need of infield reinforcement, KT proposed a trade to Lotte first, and Shim Jae-min, who can handle various positions such as Pilseungjo, Pursuit, and Long Relief, was used as a trade card to acquire Lee Ho-yeon, who can play all infield positions.
Shim Jae-min is a founding member of KT, who came out of Kaesong High School and was nominated first by KT in the 2014 rookie draft. Contrary to expectations during his amateur days, he could hardly find clothes that fit him as a pro. Despite having the advantage of being a left-handed pitcher and good pitches, he was unable to settle down in one position and contributed to the team as a supporting character rather than a leading role. Shim Jae-min’s first-team career record was 293 games, 13 wins, 20 losses, 2 saves, 31 holds, and an average ERA of 5.03. He was preparing for his return to the first team after going down to the second team on April 19 after leaving an ERA of 22.50 in four games this year.
In the KT bullpen, Shim Jae-min had no time to set foot, with many talented new faces such as Son Dong-hyun, Jeon Jeon-joo, and Lee Seon-woo appearing recently. The left-hand bullpen was also able to operate with Jo Hyun-woo, who returned from elbow surgery, and Jeonju Joo, and Kim Tae-oh, Park Se-jin, and Ha Jun-ho from the 2nd team were steadily preparing for call-ups to the 1st team. Shim Jae-min’s Futures League performance was good with an average ERA of 1.59 with 1 win, 1 loss and 1 hold in 8 games, but the dominant evaluation was that his pitch was not good enough to work in the first team right away.토토사이트
KT decided to reinforce the infield with the Shim Jae-min card. KT’s infield, where the generational change was slow and aging was prominent. Kim Sang-soo was recruited last winter for 2.9 billion won in 4 years, and a new base was left for 300 million won in 1+1 years, but the number of available personnel rapidly decreased as injuries continued to appear. Currently, third baseman Hwang Jae-kyun is recovering from a micro-fractured toe, while Park Kyung-soo and Kim Sang-soo are suffering from reduced stamina and residual injuries. Park Byeong-ho also recently returned from an injury, but is not in perfect shape. KT finally hired Park Min-seok, a rookie who had no first-team record after his debut in 2019, as a starting shortstop against Doosan on the 19th. It was a bitter reality in the KT infield.
After graduating from Gwangju Jeil High School and Sungkyunkwan University, Lee Ho-yeon joined Lotte in the 2nd 6th round, 53rd in the 2018 rookie draft. In 2020, when he first stepped on the first-team stage, his three-season career record was a batting average of 2.41, 2 homers, 17 RBIs and 20 points. He has the advantage of being able to play all infield positions except for first baseman, and was very active in the Futures League this year with a batting average of 4.3, 3 homers and 16 RBIs in 17 games. KT was attracted to Lee Ho-yeon enough to give away a one-club man left-handed pitcher who joined as a founding member.
“Lee Ho-yeon, who has experience in the first team, is an infield resource recognized for her batting ability, ranking high in key hitting indicators in the Futures League, such as batting average and on-base percentage this season,” said KT general manager Na Na-hyeon. “Lee Ho-yeon can play all infield positions. He hopes for a synergistic effect through competition with existing infield resources,” he said, wishing for a successful trade story.