[SportyNews= Sangdong, Yoon Wook-jae Reporter] “Aren’t you tired?”
It’s a question he hears almost daily. Because he is currently the busiest person in the Lotte squad. But he smiles. Because he has a dream.
Currently, Lotte is conducting a final camp at Gimhae Sangdong Stadium. On the 15th, they conducted a blue and white game to check their skills.
But there was a player who played ‘two roles’ that day. He came out as a pitcher in the blue team and a batter in the white team. It wasn’t because they were short on players. As a pitcher, he struck out two in one inning and blocked it without any runs, and as a batter, he didn’t hit in two at-bats, but calmly picked a walk.
Jeon Mi-reu (18), who was selected as the third overall pick in the first round of the 2024 KBO Rookie Draft by Lotte, is a player who has been noted as the ‘Korean version of Ohtani’. Jeon Mi-reu, who also played as both a pitcher and a batter during his time at Gyeongbuk High School, received a signing fee of 300 million won (approximately $252,000) and entered Lotte as a promising player. He is currently training as both a pitcher and a batter at the final camp, nurturing his dream of ‘ambidexterity’.
Can the ‘Korean version of Ohtani’ really become a reality in the professional world? Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung is casting one vote for ‘Pitcher Jeon Mi-reu’ for now. “The pitcher is better than I thought. The control is stable, and when I look at the mound operation and the angle of the breaking ball, I judge that it can be enough even in the first team,” said Manager Kim Tae-hyung, “As a batter, he has good power, but it seems to take time.”
The exact ‘path’ of Jeon Mi-reu is not yet determined. As a player with talent in both pitching and batting, they plan to watch carefully.
Jeon Mi-reu, who joined the final camp and took his first step as a professional player, said, “I keep feeling that the difference between professionals and amateurs is poles apart. But I enjoy professional life,” and stuck out his tongue, saying, “The skills are different. Everything is very different.”
At such times, he tends to receive help from seniors who say warm words to him. Kim Jin-wook and Go Seung-min are such figures for Jeon Mi-reu. Jeon Mi-reu said, “(Kim) Jin-wook hyung always talks to me and tells me about his experiences. (Go) Seung-min hyung sometimes makes jokes and relaxes me.”
Jeon Mi-reu, who is continuing to pitch and bat even after entering the pros, said, “Both are fun and I still have a lot of interest,” and “I always go and do the exercises needed for both sides, and if there is something I can’t do, I stay at night and exercise on my own. I live in a dormitory, so I have a lot of time left after training,” he said, explaining that he is spending busier days than others.
Pitching coach Joo Hyung-gwang often asks Jeon Mi-reu, who is pitching and batting, “Aren’t you tired?” In fact, it’s the most common thing people say to Jeon Mi-reu. Because a player who has just entered the professional stage is pitching and batting, he is expected to spend a more difficult and busy time than anyone else. Even so, Coach Joo Hyung-gwang does not hesitate to order, “Use your lower body a lot and take out a lot of strength when you throw the ball.”
Jeon Mi-reu is showing improvement not only as a pitcher but also as a batter. “I received an order to minimize unnecessary movements in the batter’s box and use my lower body to utilize explosive rhythm. I am constantly improving by practicing sending the ball in the middle direction,” Jeon Mi-reu said.
What will Jeon Mi-reu’s future unfold like? Whether the ‘Korean Ohtani’ will become a reality, or whether he will devote himself to one of pitching and batting and go all-in on one talent, remains to be seen. An interesting player has appeared in Lotte.
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