Lotte's bullpen, which had been struggling in 2024, is expected to be a 'Thorn Field Road' in 2025 as well as Jeon Mir
Lotte's bullpen, which had been struggling in 2024, is expected to be a 'Thorn Field Road' in 2025 as well as Jeon Mir
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"Unexpected injury layoff." As a result, Lotte's bullpen management, which has been struggling throughout this season, is expected to be even tougher in the 2025 season.
Lotte said on the 26th that bullpen pitcher Jeon Mir underwent surgery on the medial collateral ligament of his right elbow. He agonized over surgery and rehabilitation, but eventually decided to operate. Jeon Mir will not be able to return until the second half of next year at the earliest.안전놀이터
Jeon Mir, selected by Lotte as the third overall pick in the first round of the 2024 rookie draft, has been evaluated as a top prospect since his days in Gyeongbuk High School, boasting a strong physique of 188cm and 95kg and excellent athletic ability.
Since his debut in the Korean pro league this year, Jeon has recorded one win, five losses and one save with five holds and an ERA of 5.88 in 36 games. Through April, Jeon displayed compliance with one win, one loss and three holds with an ERA of 3.52, and has established himself as a must-winner for Lotte's bullpen. However, his performance has been significantly sluggish in 20 games, with four losses and one save and two holds with an ERA of 7.85. On top of that, his physical condition deteriorated, and he stayed in the second division after June 15 and finished the season as it was.
After agonizing over surgery and rehabilitation, he decided to quickly undergo surgery and recover his physical condition. Lotte expects rehabilitation alone will take about six months after recovery. He can return to the team at the earliest in the second half of the year.
Lotte ranked ninth among the 10 teams with a 5.36 ERA in this season's bullpen session. The number of blon saves was the highest at 27.
It was only natural that Lotte's goal for the stove league was to strengthen the bullpen. In response, the team secured closer Kim Won-joong, who was an internal FA, and key bullpen pitcher Koo Seung-min at a maximum price of 5.4 billion won for four years and 2.1 billion won for two plus two years, respectively. In addition, the team even acquired Jeong Cheol-won, the 2022 Rookie of the Year award, through a trade with Doosan.
However, the problem is that all three of them scored "low points" last year. Kim Won-joong, who had an earned run average of 2.97 and five wins, six losses, and 30 saves last year, saw his ERA soar to 3.55 this year and posted only 25 saves. The number of strikeouts decreased from 82 to 68, and the number of walks increased from 25 to 31. Koo, who had 20 holds for four consecutive years since 2020, also fell short of expectations by posting 5 wins, three losses and 13 holds in 66 games this year. Chung also saw his ERA soar to 6.40 this year.
On top of that, Choi Joon-yong underwent shoulder surgery in August. Rehabilitation takes about four months, so there is no problem in participating in next year's spring camp, but the surgery site is a "sensitive" shoulder area, so there is a mysterious sign. On top of that, Jeon Mir will undergo surgery, and the thin bullpen will be thinner. Lotte's bullpen's early moves in the 2025 season have become more important.