Now that they’ve been selected, the front office will brief us.”
LG Twins manager Yeom Kyung-yup said he had no knowledge of the 10 rookies selected by LG in the 2024 rookie draft. He didn’t consult with the front office beforehand. Respected the front office’s territory.
When asked about the draft when he met with reporters in Changwon after the draft on Thursday, Yeom said, “It’s the front office’s job to select rookies,” and added, “The scouting team will brief us on the players they selected afterward. We just need to watch the video and develop them.”
Yeom had a request for the scouts. “I think it’s good that LG has been recruiting a lot of tall, athletic players lately,” he said, “but this year I asked them to recruit some fast players. When I came to the team, there were too few fast players. At best, I would have traded for a pinch-runner, but I wanted them to focus on a faster player when conducting this year’s draft.”
That’s why the beasts LG selected this time were all quick-footed players. Incheon High outfielder Kim Hyun-jong, taken in the second round, hit three home runs and stole 10 bases. All five LG players had double-digit stolen bases, including third-round pick Son Yong-jun from Dongwon University of Science and Technology with 18, fifth-rounder Kim Dae-won from Hongik University with 19, 10th-rounder Kim Do-yoon from Yatap Go with 25, and 11th-rounder Shim Kyu-bin from Sungkyunkwan University with 13.메이저놀이터
LG flew a little under the radar in this draft. That’s because LG acquired Choi Tae-won from Kiwoom Heroes, giving up their first-round pick in this year’s rookie draft along with Lee Ju-hyung and Kim Dong-gyu. So Kiwoom used LG’s eighth pick in the first round to select Seoul High pitcher Jeon Jun-pyo.
Last year, when he selected catcher Kim Bum-seok in the first round, he said, “I picked him because he’s Kim Bum-seok. I picked him because he’s Kim Bum-seok.” LG President Cha Myung-seok, who memorably said, “I picked him because I think the unique name Kim Bum-seok can become synonymous with Korean baseball,” did not have a first-round pick in this draft.
All eyes were on Hwang Jun-seo of the Hanwha Eagles and Kim Taek-yeon of the Doosan Bears in the first round. Who knows, there could be a rookie king in the making next year among the 10 LG “picks” who didn’t get the attention they deserved.