The Kiwoom Heroes Arizona spring camp roster includes only four outfielders.
Kiwoom did not divide the US and Taiwan camps into 1st and 2nd groups when making the spring camp roster this year. Director Hong Won-gi of Kiwoom said before leaving the country, “We broke away from the concept of the existing field training and made it suitable for the environment. The US is trying to check our technical capabilities, and the Taiwanese camp is trying to quickly improve its condition through actual combat.”
In Kiwoom, it is highly likely that Lee Jung-hoo will advance overseas through the posting system after this season. We need to find a replacement for Lee Jung-hoo, who accounts for a large portion of his power, in the karate. Here, outfielder Yasiel Puig’s place is replaced by infielder Addison Russell, and one outfield spot is vacant right away.
That’s why the list of outfielders heading to the United States is more eye-catching. In addition to Lee Jung-hoo, the team’s superstar and this season’s captain, Byung-wook Lim, Hyung-jong Lee, and Jae-seon Song are all new resources that coach Hong needs to keep an eye on, as they were not in the team last year. After taking a close look at them, coach Hong needs to come up with a one-year plan by combining them with the Taiwanese camp players. They have to imprint their eyes on coach Hong at the camp.
Lim Byung-wook has been with Hong as a coach since his first appointment in 2014, but he recently vacated his position due to enlistment as a managing director. The NC match on August 18, 2020 is the last first-team match. He missed 12 games that year due to a hamstring injury. From the time he joined the team, he was noticed as a promising player with both hitting accuracy and long hitting power, but it was difficult to realize his potential due to many injuries.
So, Byung-wook Lim set this year’s goal as ‘basic’. Realizing that the ‘basic’ of playing baseball in a healthy and sincere manner without getting sick is the most difficult. Lim Byung-wook said, “I realized why basics are basics and prepared well. Since diligence is the most difficult, this is my goal for this season. I am not involved in the outfield competition. I will do my best in the current situation.”
Hyungjong Lee joined Kiwoom through Futures FA on November 24 last year. Lee Hyung-jong turned into a hitter after joining and turned into a long hitter enough to hit a double-digit home run for four consecutive years from 2018 to 2021. His career record was 624 games, 64 home runs, and a batting average of 0.281. Kiwoom recruited Lee Hyung-jong, expecting a well-organized batting line and strong outfield defense.
However, Lee Hyeong-jong only played 26 games last year due to an ankle injury, phlegm, and an oblique muscle injury. Hyungjong Lee took his place at Kiwoom after many teams competed. Coach Hong plans to directly grasp Lee Hyeong-jong’s abilities and determine how to form a force with his existing players. 안전놀이터
The last one is a rookie outfielder. After graduating from Hanil Presbyterian University, he was nominated for Kiwoom in the 5th round this year. It seems that Song Jae-seon received Hong’s pick as part of a plan to raise ‘post Lee Jung-hoo’ rather than competing in the current outfield. Director Hong said of the three rookies (Kim Kun-hee, Kim Dong-heon, and Song Jae-seon) going to the Arizona camp, “I received a report on the contents of the Wonju camp and wanted to take a closer look.”
Song Jae-seon was also well aware of his role. He said, “(Outfield competition), of course, as a baseball player, I am greedy. But before that, I will fill in the missing parts and learn a lot.