Expectations for Lotte Giants' top prospect Jeon Mir are rising. Not only the ‘master’ director Kim Tae-hyung, but even veterans are sticking their tongues out at Jeon Mir.

Lotte selected Jeon Mir in the first round of the 2024 rookie draft last year. He has been outstanding in both pitching and batting since his days at Gyeongbuk High School, and Lotte's scouting department highly evaluated the value of Jeon Mir, who can play as a 'double-wielding player', and exercised their right to nominate him without much hesitation. At this point, Jeon Mir plans to focus only on pitching for the time being, but his talent on the mound is said to be on par with other prospects.

It was during his second year at Gyeongbok High School that Jeon Mir began to receive high praise. At the time, Jeon Mir appeared in 8 games as a hitter and began to stand out by having a batting average of 0.280 with 7 hits, 5 RBIs, 5 runs, and appearing in 3 games on the mound, recording 1 win and 0 losses without allowing any runs. And during his junior year, his talent was in full bloom. Jeon Mir appeared in 27 games as a batter, with 28 hits, 3 home runs, and 32 RBIs, with a batting average of 0.346 and OPS of 1.032, and as a pitcher, he appeared in 14 games (67⅔ innings), recording an astonishing record of 5 wins, 1 loss, an ERA of 1.32, and WHIP (on-base percentage allowed per inning) of 0.85. left it

In particular, Jeon Mir showed off his unrivaled presence with the 'dual sword style' at the Blue Dragon National High School Baseball Championship held in July of last year, and brought the team to the top for the first time in 30 years. And Jeon Mir won two gold medals in that competition, winning the Outstanding Player Award and the Distinguished Service Award. Initially, Lotte planned to develop Jeon Mir, who is talented in both pitching and batting, into a ‘double-wielding’ player. However, it was judged that it would be impossible to train both pitchers and hitters, so it was decided to focus only on pitchers, who were judged to be more talented.

Coach Kim Tae-hyung said in an interview with reporters prior to the first training of spring camp, "I saw Jeon Mir training as a pitcher, and he seemed to have a good breaking ball and a speed of around 140 km/h. He looks like a fighting cock on the mound. Used on the pitcher side. "It is clear that there is. But the batting side needs a little more practice. If you can hit well in the first team right now, I will let you do double duty, but for now, I don't have the stamina to pitch and hit both," he said, concentrating only on the pitching side. The background was revealed.

And on the 3rd, when Jeon Mir took on his first bullpen pitching, exclamations of exclamation poured out of the head coach's mouth. At the time, coach Kim Tae-hyung gave him a thumbs up, saying, “You’re strong, Jeon Mir!” He continued, "(Jun) Mir is really better than I thought. It feels different between how he pitched last fall and how he pitches now. I think he's gotten better now that I'm focusing only on pitching. Everything has gotten better overall, including balance. I've prepared a lot. “I think I did it,” he said, laughing. The compliment I gave before wasn't just lip service.

In particular, the head coach explained that his talent is comparable to that of Kwak Bin, who currently stands tall as the Doosan Bears' 'homegrown ace'. Coach Kim Tae-hyung was asked, ‘Is Kwak Bin’s potential comparable to that of Kwak Bin at that age?’ “Yes. However, Kwak Bin was not able to throw the ball with confidence when he first joined the team. He did not show much of what he had. Then, as he gained confidence, he He explained, “I started throwing balls over 150 km/h,” and “velocity is not important. Even if I throw a ball at around 145 km/h, with my current control, I can be used in the middle (bullpen).”

For the 2024 season, if he is used in the first team, there is a very high possibility that he will be in the bullpen, but it is expected that he will also be able to play as a starter in the future. The head coach said, “You have to watch him throw a breaking ball. To be a starter, you need a breaking ball that can control the count.” He added, “But the slider is good. He has enough control to control the count. I think he will do well no matter what I give him.” He praised the player, saying, "He's good, the tempo is fast, and he's aggressive. He looks really good on the mound."

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