A backup catcher with a batting average of .400 in trial games and a high school graduate in the 7th inning. Bang! Park Dong-won, when did LG's home turf become so reliable

*This content was translated by AI.

While the main catcher Park Dong-won (36) was away as a transfer to the national team, the home turf of the LG Twins became reliable.

Ahead of the exhibition game against Suwon KT Wiz on the 17th, LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said, "Park Dong-won rarely appears in exhibition games. The defense is ready to play enough so that there is no difficulty in starting the regular season. I don't think I can play until the last game," he said.

LG was the team that produced the most national teams at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), which ended with Venezuela's victory on the 18th. Seven players, from Captain Park Hae-min to Park Dong-won, Shin Min-jae, Yoo Young-chan, Son Joo-young, Moon Bo-kyung and Song Seung-ki, contributed to advancing to the second round (the quarterfinals) for the first time in nine years and returned home on the morning of the 16th. Except for Son Joo-young, who is rehabilitating due to an elbow injury, six players will join the match against Incheon SSG Landers on the 18th. With 10 days left until the opening of the regular season, both Park Dong-won and Moon Bo-kyung, who played in all WBC games, were guaranteed rest.

Park Dong-won, who will welcome the FA after this season, is classified as an indispensable key resource for LG this year as well. It is not easy to see a homeowner in the league with a stable catcher lead and an offense that hits 20 home runs for three consecutive years. As such, physical fitness is considered important. When he is in good condition, Park Dong-won also shows a hit worthy of the clean-up trio. With this in mind, the head coach aimed to maintain Park Dong-won's condition until the end of the season through a more certain rest.

Coach Yeom Kyung-yeop said, "Last year, when Park Dong-won did not go out as a catcher, he used it a lot as a designated hitter. But I think it would be better to give it a complete break this year. "I have to see the team going, but in my head, I think I have to keep giving it a break," he said.

The fast growth of backup catchers made it possible. Coach Yeom Kyung-yeop has prepared for the gap through Lee Joo-heon (23) since last year, and the opportunity is expected to expand further this year.

Coach Yeom said, "Lee Joo-heon has to play more in this year's game than last year because of Park Dong-won's physical arrangement. Fortunately, it is getting better little by little in the batting and throwing parts. He also said, "Through my experience last year, I think we should take another step forward this year." "If you said you gave me an experience value last year as the second catcher, I hope you will play a helpful role in the team this year. He added, "I will work with Song Seung-ki in the beginning and go out with Son Joo-young when I need more physical arrangements for Park Dong-won later in the season."

In last year's first-team game, Lee Joo-heon had a batting average of 0.219 (28 hits in 128 at-bats) in 76 regular-season games, four homers and nine RBIs, and an OPS of 0.687 . However, although it is a small sample in this year's exhibition games, he is showing impressive performance with a batting average of 0.400 (6 hits in 15 at-bats), one homer, four RBIs, three walks and two strikeouts, and a 0.526 slugging percentage.

The secret was the advice of Yeom and LG's first-team batting coach Mo Chang-min. After the KT match, Lee Joo-heon met Star News and said, "The advice given by the coach and coach Mo Chang-min at the Japanese spring camp fits well. The coach told me to hit the timing and the coach with the heating point in front of me, but the result was good after that. "I keep swinging my bat so that I don't forget my current feeling," he explained.

On top of that, sincerity, which has been recognized since Seongnam High School, is shining. Even now, Seongnam High School coach Park Hyuk has been recognized for his work ethic (work ethics and attitude) to the extent that Lee Joo-heon is the first player to always recommend to his students who need role models.

There is one more catcher prospect who has been recognized for his sincerity since high school. It is Kang Min-ki (19), a catcher of Busan High School, who LG designated as the 48th overall in the fifth round of the 2026 KBO Rookie Draft. Kang Min-ki is known as a player who showed rapid growth along with Lee Hee-sung (19, NC Dinos) of Won High School in last year's draft, which was considered a disappointment in the prospect of catcher.

At the time of the nomination, the LG club said, "Kang Min-ki is a catcher with a sense of stability in attack and defense as a whole. have strong and accurate throwing capabilities. He explained that his batting form is soft, his body is flexible compared to his physique, and his power is good. Busan High School coach Park Gye-won also said, "(Kang) Min-ki is a player who steadily increased his baseball skills last year. He is a friend who played baseball with great sincerity. While taking good care of his juniors, he also grew up in a batting way. I think LG also saw that well," he said.

I just took my first step through last year's wrap-up camp and this year's spring camp, but I'm off to a good start. Kang also received good reviews at the LG Futures spring camp held in Jai, Taiwan last month. In a camp focused on real games with Taiwanese professional teams, he managed to stop stealing seven times in four games. According to LG team officials, the throwing mechanism has become much better.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.