Samsung's 'big shot prospect → Future's home run king, Lee Chang-yong, "Next year's goal is 20 home runs unconditionally."
Samsung's 'big shot prospect → Future's home run king, Lee Chang-yong, "Next year's goal is 20 home runs unconditionally."
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"My personal goal is to hit 20 home runs unconditionally."
Samsung Lions has had a busy season this year. It beat expectations that it was at the bottom of the list before the season's opening, but did not spare any investment for the future.
Lee Chang-yong also did his best for the team under these circumstances. Called the "Futures Home Run King" with outstanding performances in the Futures League after the season opened, Lee made the first-team debut in June when he was converted to an official player. In July, he was the first KBO player to experience American baseball, sending him to the draft league. In the fall, he played in the Miyazaki Education League.
Lee played in 55 games in Futures League games in 2024 and posted a batting average of 0.304 on-base plus 0.351 slugging percentage of 0.597 12 home runs. Lee revealed the secret of this record through a phone call with MHN Sports on the 12th. "It was helpful for me to strengthen my power by combining weight and cross-fit while serving in the defense industry," he said.
His swing mechanisms have also changed since his debut. "When I was a rookie, I had a strong tendency to hit the ball with my hands and upper body. I learned how to use my lower body under coach Joo Min-jae for two years," Lee said.
This style also worked in the U.S. Lee Chang-yong played in 38 games in the draft league, posting a batting average of 0.280 (40 hits in 143 times at bat) and eight homers. It was his record as the team's No. 1 home run. He did not have a hard time changing ball including official ball.
In response, Lee Chang-yong said, "I don't usually have sensitive senses. I was less affected by the official ball because I was a fielder (not a pitcher)," adding, "Even in the U.S., everyone is the same baseball player and they are in the same competition, so I think going with the intention of doing the same led to a good result."
He then cited strength as the difference between the U.S. and Korean players. "Because of his strong capability, he has fast ball speed and hitting speed. However, it is a slight difference, not much different," he said.
Lee Chang-yong mostly played as a first baseman and designated hitter in the draft league. Currently, Samsung Lions' main first basemen include foreign player Lewin Diaz, who renewed his contract in the 2025 season, and national slugger Park Byung-ho. "Both players are the best in the league both in batting and defense," Lee said. "What we need to do now is learn a lot from the two players, follow them, and work hard until we become the main players someday."
Koo Ja-wook and Kim Heon-gon are the most influential players in the team. Koo Ja-wook, who will serve as captain in the 2025 season, is one of the players who usually gives a lot of advice to Lee. "Ja-wook has helped me a lot both in baseball and in mental areas such as relaxing and taking your time," Lee said.
Meanwhile, Kim Heon-gon, who succeeded in rebounding by signing an FA contract this year, has also been said to be one of the grateful seniors. "Hun-gon always sends good texts or motivational writings on SNS and says, 'Cheer up, Chang-yong.' I am very grateful personally," he said, showing the strong relationship within the team. Lee Chang-yong then said, "As a player and as a person, I think I will be a really good player and a good person if I live like Hun-gon," giving a second guess of Kim Heon-gon's position in the team. 온라인카지노
The driving force behind Lee Chang-yong's career is his parents and family. "I lean on my parents every moment, both in hard times and in good times. My parents always stand by me," he said, referring to his family's love. "My parents tell me to play baseball as much as you want, and this is a big driving force in playing baseball and living," he said, explaining why he was able to play a busy season.