*This content was translated by AI.
Lotte Giants shortstop Jeon Min-jae (27), who became a billion-dollar salary for the first time in eight years since his debut, showed extraordinary determination for the 2026 season.
Jeon Min-jae, who recently got in touch with Star News, said, "I really only worked out this winter. So I think time has gone by really quickly. Last year, I did weight training recklessly, but this year, I'm going to set up a routine and do it systematically. I'm going to plan the exhibition game first," he said.
Jeon Min-jae is an infielder who joined the Doosan Bears in the 40th place in the 4th round of the 2nd round of the 2018 KBO Rookie Draft. He played as a backup for seven seasons to the solid Doosan infield, and was traded 2-3 to Lotte with Jung Cheol-won after the end of the 2024 season. His performance in the first half of the year was better than expected. He was also selected as the first All-Star in his career with a batting average of 0.304 (76 hits in 250 at-bats), three homers, 25 RBIs, 32 runs and two steals, and an on-base plus slugging percentage of 0.731.
In response, Jeon Min-jae said, "My goal before the season was to create a situation where I had no choice but to let him go as all the infield positions (as in Doosan) were entered. But it worked out so well that I didn't know what kind of luck came in."
Unlike the record-breaking first half, the performance in the second half was poor. He hit .235 (19 hits in 81 at-bats) in 28 games due to a side injury. In the end, he failed in his first career at-bats and a batting average of 300 (based on at-bats). Jeon Min-jae said, "At first, I had such a good performance that I had a desire not to miss it. I thought it was my luck to get hurt. Still, I'm going to prepare a little more in advance this year to prepare for injuries," he said with strength.
It's my first full-time season, so I've gained a lot. Jeon Min-jae said, "It was a really good year, but it was a year with a lot of regrets. There's a lot I've really gained. I did a lot of work last year, but since the regular season is a long-term race, I felt deeply that I could never complete it," he said. "I think I've been immersed in my grades a lot since the summer. I should have gotten out of there a little faster, but I lost a lot of confidence. He added, "I feel a lot of regret that I dug into the ground on my own at that juncture."
However, Lotte saw hope in Jeon Min-jae's 2025. The 2026 team's annual salary announced on the 22nd was one of the examples of that belief. Jeon Min-jae rose 46.7 percent from 75 million won to 110 million won, becoming an annual salary of 100 million won eight years after his debut.
The coach also has strong trust in him. Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung tested many prospects for the shortstop position during the final training session, but said, "Still, (former) Min-jae played the most, so it's No. 1."
It is Jeon Min-jae, a disciple, who better understands the meaning of "No. 1 not the main game" of Kim Tae-hyung, who was also a teacher during the Doosan period. Jeon Min-jae said, "First of all, I don't think I'm the main player myself. It's just someone who gets a chance first. I also prepared a lot this winter so as not to miss that opportunity. I'm not going to give up that opportunity and I'm going to hold it tight," he stressed.
If Jeon Min-jae shows the same performance in the first half of last year throughout this season, Lotte will finally have its main shortstop. After Dixon Machado, who played in 2020-2021, left, Lotte did not have a shortstop who played regulation at-bats for two consecutive years. When it comes to domestic players, the shortstop who played at-bats for two consecutive years was last played by former Lotte coach Kim Min-jae, who died not long ago, from 1999 to 2000.
As much as he prepared hard, he also decided on a candidate for the next generation of shortstop. Jeon Min-jae said, "In the meantime, the spring camp has been a time to pour everything into it every year and appeal my skills. But this year, I have a little experience, so I think I should show my own baseball. The goal is to finish without injury while maintaining batting and defensive balance and condition, he said with strength.
"As a team, I think our team showed the possibility last year (despite the disappointing performance), so I'm looking forward to a little better performance this year. Fans can look forward to it a little more," he said with a smile.
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*This content was translated by AI.
