Jeon Mir, who showed off his unique presence as a “dirt” at the Cheongryonggi National High School Championship during his high school years in North Gyeongsang Province, has caught the eyes of many scouts, winning the Most Valuable Player Award and the Order Award. And in the rookie draft, the Lotte Giants exercised the third-ranked designation right in the first round. Lotte expressed high expectations by giving a down payment of 300 million won to Jeon Mir, who has extraordinary talent in both the mound and at-bat.스포츠토토
When Jeon joined the team, he trained as a second baseman in the wrap-up camp, but decided to focus on the mound only after the first spring camp in Guam this year. This is why he decided that he is more talented as a pitcher than a batter. “His appearance on the mound is like a fighting chicken. There are definitely uses on the pitcher’s side. It’s better than I thought. I think he prepared a lot for it,” coach Kim Tae-hyung said with a big smile.
After completing his spring camp as a high school graduate, Jeon joined the opening entry after demonstrating his strength based on good pitching in exhibition games, pitched in four games in March, allowed three ⅔ innings without losing a point, and made a successful start. Since mid-April, he joined the must-win group and pitched in 12 games, recording one loss and four holds with an ERA of 4.63. This was just the beginning.
With fastballs and power curves close to 150 kilometers, Jeon continued his good performance in May with one loss, three holds, one save and an earned run average (ERA) of 5.40. However, the burden that occurred when the starting lineup collapsed began to appear on the bullpen pitchers. Since his first appearance in June, Jeon has lost two runs in one inning and lost 14.40 in seven games, showing a noticeable drop in his ball speed.
In the end, Lotte decided to give the promising players a break despite their busy road ahead. Jeon was also suffering from pain in his elbow, and the examination revealed that fatigue had accumulated in his right elbow. After taking a long break, Jeon was originally scheduled to hold the ball from mid-July to start the game to return to the first team, but due to inconvenience in his elbow, the hiatus got longer. Still, good news has come recently. Jeon caught the ball.
Asked about Jeon Mir on the 9th, head coach Kim Tae-hyung said, “There are no reports that he has entered the bullpen yet. There is a clear difference between going down to the second division because he had a little pain in a very good condition and going down in a situation where he was a little less confident. Perhaps if he had gone down from a good condition, he would have wanted to prepare quickly and come up. If he had been an experienced player, it would have been okay, but he was a rookie, and he seemed a little less confident at the end.”
However, a Lotte official said, “Former Mir received treatment for elbow injections, and he started practicing throwing the ball into the net at a distance of 20 meters today. Currently, he has no pain in his elbow.” The fact that he has not even reached the stage of catching means that he needs time to return to the game, but catching the ball was definitely good news. What is certain is that unless there is a special problem, Jeon will return to the mound within the first team within the 2024 season.
In a cool-headed way, Lotte lacked managerial control over Jeon Mir this year. This is why bullpen pitchers, who did not worry much until the beginning of the regular season, are in a slump. And as Jeon Mir showed off his better-than-expected pitching, he suddenly joined the must-win group, taking on a lot of pressure. However, he is expected to be able to thoroughly manage his position from now on. Changes in his position could occur. “When Jeon Mir recovers completely, I will have to prepare little by little and think about the starting team as well,” manager Kim Tae-hyung told reporters on April 25.
Lotte also has plans to select Jeon Mir, but has also expressed its possibility to secure the final round. Kim Won-joong will be eligible to become a free agent after the end of this season. “It is not easy for Mir to select the starting pitcher right away within this year, but I had a plan (for the starting pitcher) when Mir came to Lotte,” the head coach said. “His throwing style is very aggressive and suits him well. We don’t know what will happen to our team after the end of this season.”
At this point, it is too early to decide Jeon Mir’s position next year, but there is a high possibility of a change in his position. Head coach Kim Tae-hyung also added, “I will prepare for it after seeing the situation after the season is over.” It is unclear what role the special prospect will take, but it is clear that the possibility of taking on the “Set-up Man” has decreased as it is now.