LG, why did they nominate an unknown player at the end of the 2nd draft?

In the 5th game of the Korean series of the professional baseball '2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO Postseason' held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 13th, the LG Twins won the championship with a 6-2 win. LG coach Yeom Kyung-yeop, sports team representative Kim In-seok, general manager Cha Myeong-seok, Lim Chan-gyu and other players are taking a commemorative photo with the championship trophy.

The LG Twins, who won the combined championship for the first time in 29 years, made an unusual choice by recruiting only one unknown player in the second draft, which was filled with immediate power.

After passing the first and second rounds in the 2023 KBO second round draft held on the 22nd, LG designated right-handed pitcher Lee Jong-jun (22), who was a foster player for the NC Dinos, in the final third round.

LG's four players, including pitchers Lee Sang-gyu (Hanwha Eagles), Choi Seong-hoon (Samsung Lions), Oh Seok-ju (Kiwoom Heroes), and catcher Kim Ki-yeon (Doosan Bears), were nominated by other clubs, but only one was recruited.

In this second draft, each club excluded key players from the list of protected players in consideration of generational change and salary cap, and as a result, many players who could be used in the first team were transferred. All nine clubs immediately elected their leaders. However, LG surprisingly nominated an unknown pitcher.

Lee Jong-jun, who joined NC in 2020, did not stand out on the professional stage. He did not debut in the first team and his Futures League career record was only 8 games (19⅔ innings). He fulfilled his military service after completing the 2021 season, and returned to NC as a training player this year.

Regarding the background for recruiting Lee Jong-jun, LG said, “He is an orthodox right-handed pitcher who is tall (191 cm) and can throw a fast ball in the mid to late 140 km/h range. “He nominated me because he saw potential for future growth,” casinositerank he explained.

The reason LG called for a pass in the first and second rounds was also due to the newly established mandatory registration regulations for first-team entries. Players transferred to the second round of the draft must be registered with the first team for more than a certain number of days during one season. 1st round nominees must register for more than 50 days, 2nd round nominees must register for more than 30 days, and 3rd round or lower nominees are not subject to mandatory registration regulations.

If the mandatory registration criteria are not met within two years of nomination, the player must be returned to his original club or announced as a free agent.

As the winning team, LG, which has high first-team competitiveness, made a different decision than the nine other clubs. General Manager Cha said, “I wondered whether the players recruited in the second draft could be used in the first team right away, but I decided that it was not possible. “As the Futures team has many prospects, it is better to focus on nurturing our players,” he said. gostopsite