‘From Baek Jeong-hyeon to Jwa Seung-hyeon’, Samsung’s left-hander selection resources have become more diverse.

Samsung’s left-hander selection resources have become more diverse. Baek Jeong-hyeon, Choi Chae-heung, Lee Seung-min, and Lee Seung-hyun are considered candidates. Who will be the winner of the competition for survival in the starting lineup?

Baek Jeong-hyeon, who debuted on the professional stage in 2007, is the most experienced among his team's starting resources. He completed a career-high season in 2021, going 14-5 with a 2.63 earned run average. In 2022, he suffered from extreme bad luck and ended the season with 4 wins, 13 losses, and an ERA of 5.27. Although he failed to complete the season last year due to injury, he left a decent record of 7 wins, 5 losses, and an ERA of 3.67.

Baek Jeong-hyeon said, "I think it's a process of continuous learning. He's trying new training methods and throwing balls he hasn't thrown before." He started personal training earlier than usual and is sweating to recreate the glory of 2021.

Choi Chae-heung had his best year in 2020, achieving double-digit wins (11 wins, 6 losses) for the first time since his debut. He returned from Sangmu in June of last year and was expected to be the final puzzle piece of the starting lineup, but he only recorded 1 win and 7 losses (average ERA 6.68) in 15 games. The quality start, which is a standard for evaluating starting pitchers, only occurred twice.

He said, "It's very disappointing. I had high expectations, but I think I was underprepared, and (bad things) were revealed in my performance. It's fortunate that I got a feel for it to some extent before the season ended." Choi Chae-heung, who cited improving his velocity as his top priority, is focusing on improving his shortcomings by receiving drive line training.

After graduating from Daegu High School, Seungmin Lee began his professional career after being drafted in the second and fourth round by Samsung in 2020. He left with 2 wins, 7 losses, and an average ERA of 7.35 in 20 games in the first team. Although his numerical performance is not outstanding, he is evaluated as a pitcher who knows how to throw his pitch without fear.

On October 18, 2020, he recorded his first win in his debut against Hanwha, allowing 8 hits (1 home run), 3 walks, 3 strikeouts, and 3 runs in 5⅔ innings. He appeared as a starter against KIA on the 25th and achieved a quality start for the first time since his debut with 8 hits (1 home run), 3 walks, 4 strikeouts, and 3 runs (2 earned) in 6 innings. He was a part of Sangmu's starting lineup last year, appearing in 20 games and recording 9 wins, 5 losses, and an average ERA of 3.07.

Seung-Hyun Lee, who debuted on the professional stage after being selected in the first round by Samsung in 2021, played in 147 first-team games and recorded 4 wins, 13 losses, 6 saves, and 28 holds. His earned run average was 4.90. Having always played as a relief pitcher, he received selection training in the Australian Professional Baseball League. He was on the mound six times for the Adelaide Giants, leaving no wins and one loss (average ERA 4.32).

General Manager Lee Jong-yeol said, “Lee Seung-hyun lacks the ability to pitch, but his strength is that he has no injuries of any kind,” and added, “It would be the best situation if he were to play the starting rotation next season.” Seung-hyun Lee expressed satisfaction with the preparation process for his transformation as a starting pitcher, saying, "It's going very smoothly. As the number of pitches increased a lot in Australia and the innings got longer, I learned a lot about how to manage it and gained a lot."

Change is inevitable in Samsung's starting lineup this season. With three right-handers including Connor Siebold, Danny Reyes, and Won Tae-in, the remaining two starting positions could be filled with left-handers.

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