Can Jeon Mir (19), who was mentioned as a candidate for Rookie of the Year but was out for the season due to injury, rebound in the 2025 season?스포츠토토

Jeon, who stood out in both pitching and batting during his high school years, wore the Lotte uniform as the third overall pick in the first round of the 2024 rookie draft. He is the only rookie player in his team who decided to focus on pitching after joining Lotte, and is included in the spring camp list. He joined the roster for the opening game of the 2024 season after being impressed by manager Kim Tae-hyung with his powerful pitching in the spring camp.

Jeon Mir made his professional debut in the opening match against SSG Landers on March 24. Taking the mound in the bottom of the eighth inning with no outs and the bases loaded, he let in one of the successors by wild pitch, but he struck out the Jihoon Choi with a fastball of 150km/h. Afterwards, he dedicated a walk to Park Sung-han, but struck out both Choi Jeong and Ha Jae-hoon, leaving a strong impression.

With the trust of manager Kim Tae-hyung, Jeon quickly became a must-winner for the Lotte Giants. His early performance was good. Jeon had one win, one loss and three holds with an ERA of 3.52 in 16 games through April. Jeon Mir, who was loved by Lotte fans, was also mentioned as a candidate for Rookie of the Year.

Was it too much? Jeon took the mound more frequently due to poor performance by other must-win teams including Koo Seung-min and Choi Jun-yong, and began to show his limits in May. During May, Jeon suffered from 13 games losing two and making two saves with an earned run average of 5.40. His performance in June was even worse. He had two losses and an earned run average of 14.40 in seven games in June, while his hit rate reached 0.381.

Eventually, Jeon was notified of his move to the second division on June 17. Since then, he was not called up for the first division until the end of the season. The critical reason was his injury. Having failed to take the mound in the second division due to elbow inflammation, Jeon ended the season intact. His final performance in the 2024 season was one win, five losses, five saves and a 5.88 ERA in 36 games.

From Lotte's point of view, Jeon Mir's revival, which will return next year, is urgently needed. This season's ERA of relief pitchers was 5.26, ranking ninth in the league. If Jeon Mir recovers to his early appearance in the 2024 season, the bullpen problem can be resolved to some extent.

Since there are signs of doubt about other resources, we have to rely on Jeon Mir. Finishing pitcher Kim Won-joong and setup man Koo Seung-min can leave the team to become free agents. As Choi finished the season early due to shoulder surgery, we cannot guarantee his performance in the next season. Kim Sang-soo, who posted the most holds (17 holds) in the team, is in his mid-30s, raising concerns about his aging curve.

Next year, Jeon will be in his second year. Chances are high that he will be given another chance in the first division as he captured the hearts of coach Kim Tae-hyung in the 2024 season. Attention is focusing on whether Jeon will be able to dispel regret from this season next year.