The 'Futures League Bomber' LG infielder trio, Yeom Kyung-yeop, why was he substituted after just two at-bats? [Busan Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

LG Twins manager Yeom Kyung-yeop (58) revealed the reason for substituting infielder Son Yong-jun (26) after just two at-bats the previous day (29th).

Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop stated on the 30th ahead of their away game against the Busan Lotte Giants, "We were leading, so we decided to remove Son Yong-jun."

Son Yong-jun graduated from Gimhae Hwajeong Elementary (Gimhae Little League), Nae-dong Middle School, Gimhae High School, and Dongwon University of Science and Technology. He joined LG in the 2024 KBO Rookie Draft as the 28th pick in the third round. A right-handed batter and right-handed thrower infielder, he appeared in only 16 games with 25 at-bats in the first division but began to stand out last year with a .338 batting average in the Futures League. This year, he recorded 68 games in the Futures League with a .347 batting average (90 hits in 259 at-bats), three home runs, 40 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.860, delivering solid performance. In June and July, he hit the most hits in the Futures League for two consecutive months, dominating the second division.

Recognizing this achievement, Son won the KBO July Futures Rookie Award and received a call-up opportunity during the expanded roster. The previous day, Manager Yeom explained, "We wanted to see how Yong-jun handles defense. To be used in the first division, he must first demonstrate defensive capability. Originally, we were only considering him for third base, but we plan to have him compete with Lee Young-bin and Choe Se-hyun at shortstop. We also instructed the second division coaches to give him more time at shortstop."

The manager intended to provide an opportunity, and Son Yong-jun made his first start of the year. The result was simply unfavorable. In the bottom of the second inning, Son failed to handle a routine grounder hit by Han Dong-hee to third base in one motion. He could not react quickly enough to the ball that bounced off his glove and rolled sideways. Even after shortstop Koo Bon-hyeok fielded the ball and made a throw, no out was recorded. Subsequently, consecutive hits from Yoon Dong-hee and Son Seong-bin allowed the opposing team to score.

He also failed to capitalize on his opportunity at the plate. In the bottom of the third inning with one out, Son immediately stepped into the batter's box. However, he could not handle Kim Jin-wook's fastball in time and ended up striking out after a full count. Later, before defense in the top of the third inning, he was substituted for Moon Bo-kyung, bringing his first start of the year in the first division to an unfortunate end.

Manager Yeom stated, "If another error had occurred there, both the team and Yong-jun would have struggled. From what I saw on the field, it was a mistake that should not have happened. Players simply need to accept what went wrong."

He added, "Regarding yesterday's batted ball, if he had lowered his stance, he could have easily caught it. However, because his stance was too high, the ball bounced unpredictably, causing him to miss. At third base, if he does not yet fully understand how to position himself and respond to different types of bounces, he is likely to miss even easy balls."

The manager hoped that this one or two at-bats and a few innings would be seen as valuable time for the future. Manager Yeom explained, "Sending Yong-jun out as a starter yesterday was about giving him time. The second half of the season is different from the first. We gave him an opportunity to gain experience during a truly critical period."

Moon Jeong-bin has gradually grown by receiving opportunities bit by bit. However, even in the manager's eyes, Moon still has significant room for growth. This year, starting from the second half, Moon received substantial playing time, performing with a .273 batting average (54 hits in 198 at-bats), 15 home runs, 47 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.924 across 63 games.

However, he has struggled recently in August's 18 games with a .195 batting average (15 hits in 77 at-bats). Consequently, he was excluded from the starting lineup for the first time in a while today. Manager Yeom smiled and said, "Jeong-bin hasn't been hitting well lately; it's natural for his batting touch to dip. Still, we consider Jeong-bin a regular starter. Even regulars can rest for one or two games."

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*This content was translated by AI.