'Middle school student who batted at Jamsil four years ago' is now a real LG player! LG 2nd-round pick Im Ho-yoon: "I want to meet senior Lim Chan-kyu from Hwimun High"

*This content was translated by AI.

The third baseman who visited Jamsil Baseball Stadium as a batter four years ago is now a right-handed pitcher capable of throwing up to 152 km/h, donning an LG Twins uniform and stepping onto the mound at Jamsil once again.

On the 21st, LG selected Im Ho-yoon (19), a right-handed pitcher from Hwimun High, with the 20th overall pick in the second round of the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft held at Seoul Lotte Hotel's World Crystal Ballroom. Following their selection of Yoon Ye-seong (17) from Inchang High in the first round, LG once again chose a high school right-handed pitcher known for his fast pitches.

Baek Seong-jin, head of LG's scouting team, stated, "We are satisfied that good players came as we hoped. We strengthened our roster with two reliable right-handed pitchers capable of throwing 150 km/h in the upper rounds," and Im Ho-yoon was one of them.

For Im Ho-yoon, LG and Jamsil Baseball Stadium were not entirely unfamiliar places. During his time at Jamsin Middle School in April 2022, he represented the school's baseball team, which won the Seoul preliminary round of the National Youth Sports Festival, as a ceremonial batter for an LG-Lotte game at Jamsil Field. At that time, LG had maintained a steady relationship with Jamsin Middle School, and franchise star Oh Ji-hwan (36) also visited the school to provide talent development support and donate baseball equipment.

Four years later, Im Ho-yoon became a professional player directly chosen by LG. Immediately after the draft, when he met StarNews, he said, "I am grateful and honored that they called me sooner than I expected. I remember feeling a sense of grandeur when I stood as a batter at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in my third year of middle school. Now that I'm thinking about pitching from the mound, I feel it will be a special experience." He added, "I didn't have any team I particularly followed and cheered for before, but I remember LG as a strong team despite past ups and downs. It is an honor to join such a good team."

The path to becoming a professional was not entirely smooth. According to Korea Baseball and Softball Association (KBSA) standards, Im Ho-yoon stands 183 cm tall and weighs 81 kg. He showed talent in both pitching and hitting during his time at Jamsin Middle School and enrolled at Hwimun High as an infielder. His primary position was third base. After finishing his second year of high school, he switched to pitcher and underwent surgery on the medial collateral ligament (MCL) of his elbow in March last year, causing him to repeat a year.

There was a clear reason for his switch to pitching. Oh Tae-geun, head coach at Hwimun High, told StarNews, "(Im) Ho-yoon had good defense and an excellent arm. While he had power when batting, considering his growth potential, I believed throwing the ball would be a much stronger asset than playing as a position player." He added, "He threw the ball beautifully and smoothly." The coach continued, "I consulted with the pitching coach, Ho-yoon's parents, and his middle school coach. Ho-yoon himself also wanted to try pitching. Although he clearly had the qualities of a position player and the strength to hit balls far, we judged that pursuing a career as a pitcher would be more beneficial for his future."

Ultimately, the decision proved correct. Despite a long absence, his evaluation rose quickly upon returning to the mound. Leading with fastballs reaching up to 152 km/h, he recorded one win and one loss with an ERA of 2.17 in 11 games this year, pitching 29⅓ innings and striking out 29 batters.

LG did not select him based solely on velocity. The organization stated, "He maintains good upper and lower body balance during his delivery, has decent control to throw strikes, possesses a fast arm swing, and delivers strong impact when throwing the ball, resulting in excellent spin at the end of the pitch." Oh Tae-geun added, "He combines a 152 km/h fastball with a smooth body. His control is solid, and his fastball has power, so we expect him to be an immediate contributor."

The player himself identified his fastball as his greatest weapon. However, the area he felt had improved most this year was neither velocity nor breaking balls. Im Ho-yoon said, "I think my fastball has decent power," but added, "When I first stepped onto the mound after such a long break, I was just focused on throwing strikes. But later, I felt like I was battling against batters. I believe that part is what improved the most," he smiled.

There is another aspect that Coach Oh highly values in Im Ho-yoon: diligence over talent. He stated, "What I value most about (Im) Ho-yoon is his diligence. He is a player who puts in a lot of work." He continued, "Even if left alone, he will find and do all the exercises he needs. He is a player for whom coaches and managers don't need to worry about training." The coach added, "Watching him from the side makes you think, 'This kid really works hard.' That's why I have high expectations for him personally as well."

LG has deep ties with Hwimun High. Two franchise stars, Park Yong-taek (47) and Lim Chan-kyu (34), both graduated from the school. When asked which player he would like to meet at LG, Im Ho-yoon immediately replied without hesitation, "I want to meet senior Lim Chan-kyu."

The Jamsil Baseball Stadium field that he first stepped on as a middle school student has now become his home stadium rather than a venue he visits by invitation. Naturally, his goals have also been set. Im Ho-yoon stated confidently, "I want to prepare hard so I can quickly reach the first division and become a pitcher who can keep throwing for a long time."

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*This content was translated by AI.