The Samsung Lions will send players to the Australian Baseball League (ABL) for the second year in a row.
Last year, Samsung sent left-hander Lee Seung-hyun (22), right-hander Park Kwon-hoo (20), and catcher Lee Byung-heon (25) to the Adelaide Giants of the ABL, where they were successful.
Lee, who was a reliever until last year, learned the ropes in Australia and has been a mainstay in the starting rotation this season. In 17 appearances, he went 6-4 with a 4.23 ERA. If not for a left hamstring injury, he could have reached double digits in wins. Catcher Lee Byung-heon was the backup to Kang Min-ho. Both offense and defense stepped up.
Samsung sent four players to the Brisbane Bandits of the ABL. Yuk Sun-yeop (19) and Kim Dae-ho (23) in the first half and Choi Chae-heung (29) and Lee Ho-seong (20) in the second half. Former Holdwang coach Park Hee-soo, training coaches, and club staff will also join them.
The club said, “We decided to send the prospects to maintain their practical sense and develop their experience and skills in the new league.” The players will return home after the 10-week Australian Baseball League season, which starts on May 15th.
Choi Chae-heung stands out among the ABL roster.
It’s a bit surprising. He’s too old to be considered a prospect. He’s 10 years older than Yuk Sun-yup. This is contrary to the club’s intention of improving the skills of its prospects. However, he is not a hard worker.
Choi, who was hailed as the “Ryu Hyun-jin of the college league” at Hanyang University, began his professional career in 2018 after being drafted by Samsung in the first round. 메이저사이트 In 2020, his third year, he completed a career-high season with an 11-6 record and a 3.58 ERA in 26 games. From there, it was a downward spiral. In 2021, he finished with a 5-9 record and a 4.56 ERA before being drafted by the Commerce. After being discharged from the military in June last year, he started 15 games but went 1-7 with a 6.68 ERA.
Choi was expected to be the final piece of the starting staff’s puzzle this season, but he disappointed the coaching staff with his subpar pitching in a practice game at a camp in Okinawa, Japan. After returning home and starting from scratch, Choi was given the unique opportunity to spend a month of private training at the Push Performance Baseball Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.
The club spent a lot of money sending him to study in the United States, but it didn’t pay off:
Despite his energy off the field, he only made 14 appearances on the mound, earning one save. His ERA was also high at 6.30. The playoffs (2 games, 10.80 ERA) and Korean Series (1 game, 10.80 ERA) were no different.
The fact that the team included Choi on the roster to study in Australia after the U.S. shows that they still have high hopes for him. Choi Chae-heung should take advantage of this special treatment and prepare for the next season with the determination of a broken bone. Otherwise, his teammates who want to study abroad but don’t have the opportunity may feel deprived. The club will also be accused of wasting money.