This is what Lee Ho-joon (49), the current NC Dinos coach, said about Lee Young-bin (23, LG) three years ago when he was the LG Twins' first-team batting coach.안전놀이터

Lee Young-bin is a right-handed, left-handed infielder who joined the team as the seventh in the second round of the KBO Rookie Draft in 2021 after graduating from Daejeon Dongsan Elementary School (Daejeon Junggu Little) and Chungnam Middle School. Since the draft, he has drawn attention as the second Oh Ji-hwan. In the first two years after joining the team, he failed to stand out and eventually completed his mandatory military service through the military athletic unit.

Not only did he not make a big achievement in the first team, but he was considered a cinch even before joining the military. In 21 games in the Futures League in the 2022 season, he showed potential with a batting average of 0.363 (29 hits in 80 at-bats) with one homer and 19 RBIs with an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.917, and coach Lee Ho-joon cited his attitude and sincerity in training as the reason. There were some things I saw in person, but there were so many stories from people around him that Lee Young-bin was by far the best.

At the time, head coach Lee Ho-joon told Star News, "Each team will have one or two promising players who will represent the team later, but I see a lot of these friends especially in LG." and mentioned the names of Lee Young-bin, Moon Bo-kyung, Lee Jae-won, Song Chan-eui (LG) and Lee Ju-hyung (Kium Heroes).

Among them, Lee Young-bin's name was mentioned several times, saying, "Sometimes some players run away when they train, and (Lee) Young-bin works really hard. (LG) seniors admit it," he said, adding, "I think I will become a player representing LG in the future."

However, the team was in its prime due to its heavy infield depth. Oh Ji-hwan and Shin Min-jae were sitting at shortstop and second base, which were its main positions. LG also hired Lee to work part-time as an outfielder to give Lee a chance, but it was not working well.

In the end, growing into a shortstop to succeed Oh Ji-hwan is the best scenario for LG. Even before joining the army as third baseman Moon Bo-kyung, shortstop Oh Ji-hwan, second baseman Shin Min-jae, and first baseman Austin Dean, the infield wall became firmer and higher. Koo Bon-hyuk (28) is the backup, but it is good to have as many candidates as possible to succeed Oh Ji-hwan, who is now in his mid-30s.

Fortunately, Lee's in-field evaluation of his infield defense is not bad. He is capable of being the next shortstop with fast hand movements and wrist strength. The key is his batting average of only 0.223 times, and his top priority is to set up his own strike zone while watching a lot of balls from players in the first division. Compared with his performance in the second division, Lee had little chances to play in 163 games and 323 at-bats for three seasons in the first division.

LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop (57) is also well aware of what Lee needs. "Lee Young-bin, Song Chan-ui, Koo Bon-hyuk, Kim Beom-seok, and Lee Ju-heon will likely be given many opportunities this season," said Yeom Kyung-yeop, who stressed his commitment at the New Year's party last month.

While the main lineup is solid, fans are paying attention to how coach Yeom Kyung-yeop and LG will prepare the opportunity and how Lee Young-bin will appeal and grow in that opportunity.