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[스포츠서울 남서영기자]Will Na Seung-yeop (18), who was selected as the biggest rookie draft in 2021, make his first group debut this season?
On the 18th, Lotte announced the surgery of outfielder Min Byung-hun’s cerebral aneurysm. Lotte’s outfield has a gap in Min Byung-hun, who expects a long time to recover after surgery. In the meantime, Lotte has built a national-level outfield team leading to Son Ah-seop, Min Byeong-hun, and Jeon Jun-woo. However, as the outfield supporter Min Byung-hun has been dropped, and the other two players are entering their mid-30s, the possibility of outfield reorganization is also increasing.
Outfield candidates are diverse. There is Jung-hoon, the player who stood the most during Min Byung-hun’s vacancy last year. However, Jung Hoon also played a lot as first baseman. Jung Hoon, who is not a professional outfielder, is not suitable as a full-time outfielder. There is also Kim Jae-yu. In 2015, Kim Jae-yu, wearing a Lotte uniform as a training player, played in 68 games last year, batting 0.259, 1 home run, 9 RBIs and 10 steals. His feet are fast, but he remains regretful as a leading batter. Since there is no right person, Lotte Director Huh Moon-hoe also said, “I am not sure. Since I have set up several people last year, I plan to test it again this year.”
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In addition to this, there is a person emerging as an outfield candidate. This is Na Seung-yeop, who joined Lotte as a nomination for the second round of the 2021 rookie draft. Na Seung-yeop initially tried to advance to the major leagues, but was persuaded by Lotte General Manager Seong Min-gyu to wear a Lotte uniform. Na Seung-yeop played the role of a fourth batter since Deoksu High School, playing as third baseman and shortstop. Compared to his physique, he was considered a promising player with more home runs and long hits.
Na Seung-yeop experienced both third base and left field in the education league held last November. Coach Moon Gyu-hyun, who saw this, said, “I feel like a player with a talent for hitting, and I have good athleticism. He explains that he is good at baseball,” he said. “Because he is so talented with batting, it would be good to take advantage of his strengths in the outfield while reducing the burden of defense, so I think he can recommend the outfield.” According to Coach Moon, Na Seung-yup also expressed confidence that he was’comfortable and okay’ in the game where he was in left field.
Manager Heo Moon-hoe said, “I watched a game when (I) Seung-yeop played as third baseman. I didn’t see it in the left field game. It is difficult to judge quickly because it is still to be seen. I am thinking about trying the outfield and the infield.” In a recent interview, Na Seung-yeop expressed his intention to change the outfield if the team wanted it. It is interesting to see if Na Seung-yeop, who selected his goal for this season as his first team debut, can leap forward as the main battle. [email protected]