Gyeongbuk High School’s Jeon Mir, who is currently the favourite for the third overall pick, will continue his batting duties with the youth team.
“Firstly, we need to see how well Cho Dae-hyun and Jeon Mir can bat. But if they can bat well, we are willing to use them together. We have a relatively weak centre-half batting line-up.”
Currently, Cho Dae-hyun is not batting at all, but Jeon Mir is at his best in the batting order. He batted in the final game of the phoenix tournament and hit two hits. In the President’s Cup, he hit seven home runs and five doubles in 14 at-bats. Jeon has been criticised for having a somewhat wild swing and a weakness for body balls, but he has a clear path. He has the power to drive the ball far even when off balance, and his bat speed is already pro-level.
스포츠토토 In the last Daegu Winter League, he hit five home runs. He also performed well in unofficial games, hitting a home run in the prestigious Deoksugo High School Baseball Fever game.
Jeon Mir, a third grader at Gyeongbuk High School / Photo by Park Bum-joon
An official from the parent club said, “His stamina is amazing. I can’t believe he’s so strong even though he’s a two-hitter. He has an incredible body. If he was only a pitcher, wouldn’t he be more amazing?” Another club official said, “His body is like that of Na Sung-bum. In the pros, they say that Na Sung-bum is the best among professional players. In high school, Jeon Mir seems to be such a player. I don’t think there would be any problem with his physical ability if he became a professional right now.”
Gangneung High’s Cho Dae-hyun and Incheon High’s Kim Taek-yeon, who will be the mainstays of the youth national team (Photo = Jeon Ilbo Reporter)
While Jeon Mir was a big part of Gyeongbuk High, the youth national team has many good pitchers, including Hwang Jun-seo, Kim Taek-yeon, Park Gun-woo, and Cho Dae-hyun.
In addition, the national team games are seven-inning games, so instead of one pitcher being responsible for long innings, all pitchers will pitch short innings to minimise runs. Therefore, the importance of pitcher Jeon Mir is expected to decrease considerably from that of Gyeongbuk High School.
Instead of being the ace of the team, he will literally only need to do 1/N.
Gyeonggi-do’s Lee Sang-jun, who is being considered as a possible centre fielder (Photo: Jeon Sang-il)
Lee “Little Byung-gyu” Seung-min, another potential centre fielder (Photo: Jeon Sang-il)
Instead, it could be that the beastly Jeon Mir will be given more of a role. Lee Sang-jun (Gyeonggi Go) and Lee Seung-min (Whimungo) are currently being considered for the national team’s central batting positions. However, they are relatively thin. An alternative option is to use a centre-field batting line-up of first base + Jeon Mir.
The current plan of Jeon Mir at first base, Jung Ahn-seok at second, Park Ji-hwan at third, and Yeo Dong-gun at shortstop is considered the most likely. Cho Hyun-min and Kim Tae-hyun will be the backups.
[SEOUL, Sept. 15 (Yonhap) – Players selected by the Lotte Giants in the 2023 KBO Rookie Draft pose for a photo with club officials at the Westin Chosun Hotel in central Seoul on Friday afternoon. All rights reserved.> /Photo=Newsis Image
Currently, Jeon Mir is the favourite to be signed by Lotte. At the moment, Jeon is the frontrunner.
What matters is how the Lotte Giants will utilise him.
First-rounders are drafted with an eye toward immediate impact within two years. Usually, players who can be used immediately in the team are selected in the first year to build their bodies and adapt to the first team in the second year. No team considers players who need long-term development in the first round.
Last year, Lotte’s main rationale for selecting Kim Min-seok was that he could be used quickly (Photo = News)
In particular, the most important thing is whether he can be a two-hitter, which is what Jeon wants to do. However, as a batsman, he still needs time to work on his defence and adapt to the first team. The biggest value that can bring out the best in Jeon Mir is his two-hitting combination.
The biggest reason Lotte chose Kim Min-seok last year was that he could be used quickly. A player who can be used immediately is a very important factor in selecting a top player, even in the first round. He’s already proven his ability, so this is the most important factor.
How does Lotte judge Jeon Mir’s potential to be a two-hitter, that’s the most important thing. (Photo by Jeon Sang-il)
Will Jeon fully prove Lotte’s credentials in this tournament, and how will Lotte judge his utilisation?
Jeon will play against the KIA Tigers second team on 23 August at the Gwangju Champions Field. On 29 August, he will play against the Hanwha Eagles second team. Lotte’s eyes will be on Jeon Mir even more intently.