After postponing his military enlistment last winter, LG’s Jamsil Big Boy Lee Jae-won, 24, will finally join the army in the first half of next year. Lee, who was unable to fulfill his big-bat potential this season due to frequent injuries, was unfortunately left off the Korean Series roster and was unable to be a part of LG’s first Korean Series title in 29 years.
Selected by LG in the second round (17th overall) of the 2018 KBO Draft, Lee is a big-league prospect. He was a two-time Futures League home run champion in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, he played 85 games in the first team, batting just 2-for-22 (50-for-223) with a .453 on-base percentage and .769 OPS with 13 home runs, despite his lack of contact. He hit a home run every 17.15 at-bats, marking his first career double-digit home run total.
Lee handed in his application to the Commerce Baseball Organization last winter and prepared to join the team, but his plans changed when Yeom Kyung-yup was hired as LG’s manager. Yim appreciated Lee’s long bat and expected him to be the powerhouse they needed this season. 온라인카지노 Lee Jae-won withdrew his commercial application and postponed his military service.
Yeom expected Lee Jae-won to hit long balls once he was given a chance to play and gain more experience.
He believed that he would be able to hit long balls like Park Byung-ho, who was traded to Nexen after failing to blossom at LG and became a home run king while playing fourth base. The plan was to move him to first base and develop him into the next top four hitter.
However, Lee suffered an oblique muscle injury in the middle of spring training. He recovered, only to be sidelined in an exhibition game with another oblique injury. He made a late call-up to the first team in early May, but his bad luck continued. On May 24, he hit a huge home run against SSG in Incheon, only to go down again with a thigh injury.
His batting balance was unbalanced due to the ongoing injuries. After returning in mid-June, Lee batted just 7-for-4 (2-for-27) with 15 strikeouts in 16 games. He hasn’t been able to regain his hitting touch since.
Lee played in just 56 games this season, batting just 2-for-8 with four home runs, 18 RBIs and a .373 on-base percentage.
With LG winning its first regular season title in 29 years, Lee was expected to play in the Korean Series as a right-handed pinch-hitter. “He didn’t go to the army because of me, but I’m going to put him on the roster for the Korean Series,” said manager Yoon Kyung-yeop.
However, during the Korean Series training camp, the plan changed. At a coaching staff meeting, it was suggested that the team needed another runner and another defender, so Lee Jae-won’s spot was eliminated. In the end, LG dropped Lee Jae-won from the Korean Series roster and added Son Ho-young, who can play both center field and catcher.
“Lee Jae-won is preparing to enlist in the military in the first half of next year,” an LG official said. He plans to complete his military service first and then take on a new challenge to grow into a big gun in the first team.
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