Why LG Nominated Unknown Fostering Player at the End of 2nd Draft

After passing the first and second rounds in the 2023 KBO second draft held on the 22nd, LG nominated right-hander Lee Jong-joon (22), who was a fostering player for the NC Dinos, in the final third round.

LG’s four pitchers, Lee Sang-kyu (Hanwha Eagles), Choi Sung-hoon (Samsung Lions), Oh Seok-joo (Kium Heroes), and catcher Kim Ki-yeon (Doosan Bears), were nominated to other clubs, but only one was recruited.

In this second draft, each club excluded key players from the protection list in consideration of generational change and salary caps, and a large number of players who can be used in the first team were transferred. All nine clubs immediately selected a sense of power. However, LG named an unknown pitcher in a surprise move.

Lee Jong-joon, who joined NC in 2020, did not stand out on the professional stage. He did not make his debut in the first division and recorded only eight games (19 ⅔ innings) in the Futures League. He completed his military service after the 2021 season and returned to NC as a fostering player this year.

Regarding the background of recruiting Lee Jong-joon, LG said, “As a right-handed orthodox pitcher, he is tall (191 cm) and can throw fast balls in the mid to late 140 km. “I nominated it based on the possibility of future growth,” he explained.

LG’s calls for passes in the first and second rounds also include the newly established first-team entry mandatory registration regulations. Players who have moved to the second draft must be registered in the first team entry for at least a certain period of time during a season. First-round nominees must register for at least 50 days, second-round nominees must register for at least 30 days, and third-round nominees are not subject to mandatory registration regulations.

If the mandatory registration criteria are not met within two years after the nomination, they must return to their original club or disclose it as a free agent. 토토사이트

LG, which is highly competitive in the first division as the winning team, made a different decision than nine clubs. Cha said, “I was thinking about whether I could use the players I recruited in the second draft in the first division right away, but I decided not to. “As there are many prospects in the Futures team, it is better to focus on nurturing our players.”