'With Han Dong-hee and Na Seung-yeop present, why Lee Ho-min?'... Lotte deepens its dilemma before the giant right-handed hitter from Gyeongnam High School

*This content was translated by AI.

Even with corner infield power hitters like Han Dong-hee (27) and Na Seung-yeop (24) already in the system, the story of Gyeongnam High School third baseman Lee Ho-min (18) continues until just before the rookie draft. This is the Lotte Giants' situation.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) will hold the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft at 2 p.m. on the 21st in the World Crystal Ball Room of Seoul Lotte Hotel.

Drafting will proceed from the first round through the eleventh round. The order of selection rights, based on the reverse standings of the 2025 season, is Kiwoom-Doosan-KIA-Lotte-KT-NC-Samsung-SSG-Hanwha-LG. From the second round through the eleventh round, drafting will again follow this same order. Only one rookie draft selection right trade has been made so far. This was when NC Dinos acquired the 27th pick in the third round after trading catcher Park Se-hyeok (36) to Samsung Lions on November 25 last year.

With Busan High School pitcher-batter hybrid Ha Hyun-seung (18) likely heading to first-place Kiwoom, everything beyond that remains uncertain. While Seoul High School's other pitcher-batter hybrid Kim Ji-woo (18) would naturally seem destined for second-place Doosan based on potential alone, many other choices are certainly possible.

Among the players whose draft order is unpredictable is Gyeongnam High School third baseman Lee Ho-min. Lee Ho-min is a right-handed power hitter and infielder whose greatest strength is his batting. He is considered unbeatable at the high school level. In 78 career high school games, he recorded a .380 batting average (100 hits in 263 at-bats), 8 home runs, 89 RBIs, 47 runs scored, and 9 stolen bases, with an on-base percentage of .442, slugging percentage of .601, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.043. In his third year, he improved even further, posting a .420 batting average (29 hits in 69 at-bats), 2 home runs, 19 RBIs, 12 runs scored, and 6 stolen bases across 20 games, with an OPS of 1.132.

KBO scouts have consistently included Lee Ho-min, who possesses both power and precision among the nation's top-tier hitters, as a first-round candidate since after his sophomore season. It is assessed that his draft position will depend on how much of his third-base defense he can demonstrate, given his lack of experience due to strong senior players ahead of him.

At first glance, all this story might seem largely unrelated to Lotte. Lotte already has young hitters Han Dong-hee and Na Seung-yeop who are expected to shoulder long-term responsibility at the corner infield positions. Han Dong-hee led Lotte's lineup this year with a .300 batting average, 21 home runs, 68 RBIs, 50 runs scored, and an OPS of 0.892 in 94 games after returning from discharge from the Army Sports Promotion Team (Sangmu). Na Seung-yeop also contributed significantly at the plate this year with a .283 batting average, 6 home runs, 49 RBIs, 46 runs scored, and an OPS of 0.769 in 90 games.

The most ideal scenario Lotte envisions is for Han Dong-hee to take third base and Na Seung-yeop to settle at first base. However, it is difficult to assume that both players have completely secured their positions with just their bats. In particular, Na Seung-yeop showed defensive shortcomings this year as well, committing 9 errors as a first baseman. Since the position of first baseman is so crucial that the overall infield stability depends on who receives throws from other infielders, Lotte cannot avoid considering long-term first base defense.

The same logic applies to Choi Ji-man (35·Ulsan Whales), who has a career record of 525 games and 67 home runs in Major League Baseball (MLB) and has been consistently mentioned as a Lotte draft candidate.

Adding to this, Lee Ho-min significantly raised his stock at the recently concluded 14th Asian Youth Baseball Championship. In this tournament, which ended with Korea's first championship in eight years, Lee Ho-min recorded a .429 batting average (6 hits in 14 at-bats), 1 home run, 7 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.301 across 6 games. He demonstrated his improved ability to handle outside breaking balls and bat control this year on the international stage as well.

Most importantly, he excelled in big games. A KBO team scout previously told StarNews, "Lee Ho-min has been entrusted with leading Gyeongnam High School's core lineup since his freshman year, consistently delivering key RBIs in crucial moments. This is thanks to his excellent ability to handle pitches that drift outside or high. We rate his clutch ability very highly."

In fact, on the 11th during the super round against Japan, when Korea trailed 0-2, Lee Ho-min hit a solo home run to ignite the comeback. In the sixth inning tied at 2-2, he also hit a go-ahead two-run double. Of the three runs scored in Korea's 3-2 victory over Japan, Lee Ho-min's bat was responsible for two of them.

This performance has further complicated Lotte's dilemma. Although Lee Ho-min is currently a third baseman, it is assessed that he must ultimately be considered for first base at the professional level. Lotte already has Na Seung-yeop and Han Dong-hee. Go Seung-min can also play first base. If Lotte drafts Lee Ho-min, there is a high probability that corner infield traffic management will be needed in a few years.

Conversely, the rookie draft is not merely an event to fill one immediate vacant position. Especially when a player like Lee Ho-min, who possesses batting talent at the highest level among all high school position players of that year, is right before their eyes, it is not an easy choice to pass him up solely due to positional overlap.

Moreover, Lotte is a team that knows better than anyone how much value such a type of hitter holds. Coincidentally, the player Lee Ho-min cites as his role model is also Lotte's legendary right-handed power hitter Lee Dae-ho (44). This is why Lee Ho-min's name has not been removed from Lotte's top four draft candidates until the day of the draft, even with Na Seung-yeop and Han Dong-hee already in the system.

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*This content was translated by AI.