[Official Announcement] Samsung's First-Round Pick Right-Hander 'Ultimately' Released After Just One Game... Lotte, Failing to Reach Postseason for 9th Consecutive Season, Cuts 16 Players Including Choi Chong-yeon

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The Lotte Giants, who failed to advance to the postseason (PS) for the ninth consecutive season, have launched a major roster overhaul. Choi Chong-yeon (29), once regarded as a top prospect of the Samsung Lions, is set to pack his bags after just one season in Busan.

On the 7th, Lotte officially announced, "We notified 16 players, including eight pitchers and eight position players, of their release through interviews."

The most notable name among them is Choi Chong-yeon. A right-handed pitcher who graduated from Gyeongbuk High School, Choi was selected by Samsung with the first overall pick in the 2016 KBO Rookie Draft. In 2018, he pitched in 70 games over 85 innings, recording a 2-6 record with eight saves and 16 holds, and an ERA of 3.60, serving as a key member of Samsung's bullpen. That same year, he was also selected for the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games national team, winning a gold medal.

His career took a turbulent turn thereafter. His standing diminished due to poor performance and elbow surgery, and in November last year, he was selected by Lotte through the second draft. At the time, Lotte had pinned its hopes on the potential rebound of pitchers who had been drafted with high picks in the past, including Choi Chong-yeon, Kim Ju-wan, and Kim Young-jun.

However, Choi failed to make a significant impact with Lotte either. His only appearance in the first division this season was in one game against KT on April 7. He pitched one inning, allowing three hits and one walk while giving up two runs, resulting in an ERA of 18.00. He has not returned to the first-division mound since then. Ultimately, his time with Lotte ended after just one first-division game. His career KBO record stands at 199 games, a 5-19 win-loss record, nine saves, 23 holds, and an ERA of 6.14.

In addition to Choi Chong-yeon, pitchers Jung Seong-jong (31), Seok Sang-ho (26), Park Ro-geun (25), Jo Kyung-min (22), Park Sung-jun (21), Son Jun-i (22), and Jeon Ha-won (21) received release notifications. Jung Seong-jong joined the team as the 13th overall pick in the second round of Lotte's selection in the 2018 KBO Rookie Draft, while Park Ro-geun is a left-hander who was selected with the 14th overall pick in the second round of the 2020 draft. Seok Sang-ho was drafted in the seventh round in 2023, underhand pitcher Jo Kyung-min in the eighth round that same year, and Park Sung-jun and Jeon Ha-won were selected in the sixth and 10th rounds, respectively, in 2024. Son Jun-i joined as a developmental player this year.

Among position players, outfielders Lee In-han (28), Eom Jang-yoon (23), Yoon Su-nyeong (26), catcher Kim Hyeon-do (24), and infielders Bae In-hyuk (22), Park Ji-hun (24), Kim Ho-beom (23), and Lee Jeong-min (23) are leaving the team. Lee In-han was selected by KIA in the ninth round of the second draft in 2020 before joining Lotte in 2024, while Eom Jang-yoon is a product of the eighth round in 2022 and Bae In-hyuk of the 11th round in 2023. Yoon Su-nyeong, Park Ji-hun, Kim Hyeon-do, Kim Ho-beom, and Lee Jeong-min are players who attempted to break into the professional ranks as developmental players.

As of before the game on the 7th, Lotte sits in eighth place with a record of 61 wins, three draws, and 75 losses. The team has been struggling through the final stretch of the season, managing only one draw and three losses in its last four games against KT and Doosan. Since reaching the 준플레이오프 (Junior Playoffs) in 2017, Lotte has failed to qualify for the postseason for nine consecutive seasons from 2018 through this year. Even after Manager Kim Tae-hyung (59) took over the helm in 2024, the team has failed to reach the fall baseball series for three straight years, making a change of atmosphere inevitable.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original