On July 31, 2018, the trade deadline for the 2018 season, SK (now SSG) and LG agreed to a one-on-one trade. Instead of acquiring Moon Kwang-eun, a right-hander bullpen resource, LG sent infielder Kang Seung-ho, who had been evaluated as slow to grow, to SK.

At the time, the person who led this trade and finally stamped it was Yeom Gyeong-yeop, the current LG manager, who was serving as SK general manager. Manager Yeom thought SK’s infield lacked resources for generational change, especially the shortstop. It was Kang Seung-ho who was caught with the trade card while looking for a player who could solve this thirst.

Kang Seung-ho, who graduated from Cheonan Bukil High School and was nominated in the 1st round (3rd overall) by LG in 2013, debuted in the 1st team in 2016, but was losing the spotlight he received at the time of nomination. He played 18 first-team matches in 2016 and 85 first-team matches in 2017, but he failed to establish himself clearly, and in 2018 he was pushed out of the competition. He wasn’t an attractive player based on his first-team performances. Nevertheless, Director Yeom pushed forward with confidence.

The reason was simple. Director Yeom said at the time, “I think the nomination ranking is important.” Kang Seung-ho was a player who was called at a very early point among all draftees in 2013. Regardless of whether the nomination is right or not, it is the scouts who run around the field and conduct thorough investigations from the players’ childhood. Being ranked high in the nomination list means that he has already shown a lot of potential since he was young.

Director Yeom was convinced that he had what he had and that since he was still young, he could do well if he changed his environment. In fact, Kang Seung-ho gathered great expectations as a successful work until an unfortunate accident, such as helping SK win the Korean Series in 2018. And Doosan also could not ignore Kang Seung-ho’s talent and bowl and named Choi Joo-hwan as a compensation player. The flashing talent shown by these players can come as intensely to the clubs. 메이저사이트

Coincidentally, the two players nominated by LG as compensation players for this offseason also have one thing in common: they were also nominated for the top round. Right-hander Yun Ho-sol (29), who received Chae Eun-seong’s compensation player, was the so-called ‘golden arm’ who received 600 million won in down payment alone after being nominated first by NC in 2013. At the time, it was no exaggeration to say that he was the biggest draft player. Yoo Kang-nam’s reward player, left-hander Kim Yoo-young (29), was the first player nominated by Lotte in 2014. He also received a considerable down payment of 200 million won.

The nomination of compensation players is basically the domain of the front desk. It is common to find a target and talk to the field about the target. It is difficult to say that Yeom led everything, considering the fact that Hanwha and Lotte had a lot of eyes that evaluated the list of compensation players relatively boldly and well. However, in the case of Kang Seung-ho, there are points in common with director Yeom’s theory. Now that you’ve changed the environment, it’s time to look forward to soaring.

Yun Ho-sol spent a long time wandering. Because of his many injuries and military service, he could not play a single game in the first team from 2015 to 2018. However, he played 55 games in 2021 and 52 games in 2022, and he showed a gradual improvement. He can also throw fast balls in the mid and late 140 km/h range. He said there is no manager who refuses to pitch a fast ball. Kim Yoo-young also participated in 68 games last year, the most for an individual. It’s a pity that he faltered after the middle and the second half, but in the beginning, he played a very large role in Lotte’s left-handed camp.

LG has recently gathered pitchers well, but it is also a team that has developed them relatively well. And both players are now in their thirties. There’s still plenty of room for improvement, and it’s clear that it’s getting better little by little in recent years. In fact, different people may have different perspectives on how to evaluate the gap between talent and current skills. One interesting point to look at LG in 2023 is whether the two players can prove manager Yeom’s conviction.