Kiwoom Heroes’ rookie infielder Lee Jae-sang (19) is from Seongnam High School and was selected 16th in the second round of the 2024 KBO Rookie Draft, and wore a Kiwoom uniform. Lee Jae-sang, who predicted unusual performances from the spring camp, confidently joined the opening entry.
He also had a batting average of 0.375 (six hits in 16 at-bats) in April and had his debut home run against special left-hander Kim Kwang-hyun at a match against the Incheon SSG Landers on April 10. He also maintained stable defense at shortstop.먹튀검증
“I am also showing amazing defense. I am improving myself by adapting to good directions,” Kiwoom coach Hong Won-ki said in the beginning of this season. “I need to have a good sense of defense, but stability and boldness stand out regardless of my young age.”
However, an unexpected finger injury has hindered him. He fractured his fourth right finger during defense training on April 14. He went on a surgery table on April 16.
At the time, Hong said, “I think I spoke too loudly to the media or people around me. I should have been more calm. Maybe that was the cause of my anger. I started regretting it. I think I would have been more excited to read articles because I was young. Of course, there may be parts where you can concentrate and gain strength, but you must have been excited. I think bad luck also came along with the bad luck.”
Lee Jae-sang, who has since played in rehabilitation and Futures games, was listed on the first team roster on May 329. However, he failed to display impact early on in the season. He had no hits in four at-bats in two games in May, and only posted a batting average of 0.233 (10 hits in 43 times at bat) and four runs scored in June. He was excluded from the first team roster on June 24.
He returned to the first team on July 24, but had no clue at all. He played in six games in July, and had no hits in 10 times at bat. He was at bat 11 times, and one walk was the only on-base hit. In the end, Hong had no choice but to lower Lee Jae-sang back to the second team on July 31.
Recently, Coach Hong Won-ki said, “Lee Jae-sang is still a rookie and a young player. He is going through trial and error. It is important to experience the atmosphere in the first division, but I think there is something we need to do in the second division. To be coached by several coaches, we need to learn the process of playing in the second division and solving them. I am not asking for 25 percent or 30 percent in attack right now. As a rookie, I think we need time to accumulate experience.”
Lee Jae-sang wielded a batting average of 0.408 on the high school stage in the 2023 season and was considered the next Kang Jung-ho talent. He also had the potential to be an “all-round shortstop.” Lee Jae-sang was confidently listed in the preliminary entry for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
Kiwoom was able to select a total of six players up to the top three rounds in the rookie draft last year. Because of the right to nominate players through trade with other teams, Lee Jae-sang was the only fielder among the six players. Expectations were high.
It is natural for a rookie player to suffer from growing pains in his debut season. It is important how to overcome the current growing pains. Let’s look forward to Lee Jae-sang’s performance to come back stronger.