Lee Kang-joon (22) joined KT Wiz and went to Kiwoom Heroes via Lotte Giants. Can the prospect who was once called Little Lee Kang-cheol become a special submarine for Gocheok Sky Dome?
On the 20th, the Kiwoom Heroes announced that they had nominated pitching prospect Lee Kang-joon as compensation player for Han Hyun-hee, who obtained FA status and transferred to the Lotte Giants.
Lee Kang-joon, born in 2001, is a right-handed sidearm pitcher who left Seorak High School and joined the pros in the 22nd place in the 2nd 3rd round of the 2020 KT. Coincidentally, he received a lot of guidance and attention at the same time as he met coach Lee Kang-cheol, a legend of sidearm in the KBO league, as a command tower. He was nicknamed Little Lee Kang-cheol because he was equipped with a heavy snake fastball and a pitching form similar to that of coach Lee Kang-cheol during his active career.
However, his impact in the first team was not great. After leaving an average ERA of 6.35 without winning or losing in four games in the first year, he moved to Lotte from KT through a trade with Kim Joon-tae and Oh Yoon-seok in July of that year after touring the second group in the 2021 season. However, at the time, the leak of Lee Kang-joon was not a trade that KT was very happy with. In order to strengthen the depth of the catcher and infield, they had no choice but to send out a promising player who coach Lee Kang-cheol had put his heart and soul into teaching.
Even wearing a Lotte uniform, Lee Kang-joon went through various trials and errors for two years. Following an average ERA of 10.80 with 1 win and no loss in 15 games in the 2021 season, last year also suffered a sluggish ERA of 10.24 with 1 hold without a win or loss in 13 games. In the end, he was excluded from the list of 20 protected players following Han Hyun-hee’s FA transfer, and went through his second professional transfer two years ago. 온라인바카라
Kiwoom’s expectations for Lee Kang-jun are high. Lee Kang-joon was a so-called ‘unscratched lottery’ that did not explode even when he had a good ball during his Lotte days. Kiwoom highly evaluated his potential and nominated a compensation player for the first time in the club’s history. In addition, the side arm pitcher born in 1993 was replaced with a pitcher born in 2001, and he succeeded in rebuilding without bleeding.
Koh Hyung-wook, general manager of Kiwoom, explained the background of Lee Kang-joon’s nomination, saying, “Although he is a player who does not have much experience, he has great power at the tip of the ball and excellent movement.”
Attention is focusing on whether the sidearm prospect, once called Little Lee Kang-cheol, will be able to spread his wings at Gocheok Sky Dome.